


Darkness Rising

by SailorSenshi7



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Drama & Romance, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-24
Updated: 2017-10-24
Packaged: 2019-01-22 12:08:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 44,840
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12481228
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SailorSenshi7/pseuds/SailorSenshi7
Summary: Set after the events in TFA, Rey has been captured and hurled into the life of Kylo Ren. A prisoner, Rey is left with two choices; to die or join the darkside. For Rey there is only the light while Kylo Ren has only ever claimed the darkness. Can Rey use the light to find the man beneath the monster? **I don't own Star Wars or characters**





	1. Chapter 1

She stood in the middle of a field. It was night, nearly pitch black, save for a moon shining brightly from above, casting everything around her into shadows, even as its gentle beams surrounded her in light. Always the light.

Glancing around, she took in the long wheat grass that brushed against her bare arms, the starless sky above and the breeze that moved her two loose curls gently forward, almost as if the wind itself was attempting to push her ahead, urging her onward. Staring ahead of her, she took a step forward and then another, before shaking herself out of the trancelike state she'd found herself in. The allure to press on was great, greater than she could have anticipated. It made her feel weak, but oddly, she wanted to rush headlong into the night until she came upon what her mind found so alluring. So captivating. Instead, she stilled her movements, closing her eyes and trying to think logically, to use reason instead of passion to aid her next move.

Deep down, she knew going forward was wrong. Something sinister lay ahead of her, she could feel it. It was dark and frightening, yet intriguing and mysterious, only because she knew, she knew, that she had encountered the presence ahead of her on more than one occasion.

She knew who lurked on the edge of the field, who awaited her in the clearing. She'd felt the touch of his mind, and even if she hadn't, she would still have sensed him, felt him with every fiber of her being. It was him.

Kylo Ren. Ben Solo. Or what was once left of Ben Solo, son of Han Solo and Leia Organa. After having witnessed him murder his own father to gain better access to the dark side, Rey knew there was nothing left of Luke Skywalker's old apprentice. There was only Kylo. Only darkness.

Shaking her head in excess, she knew she couldn't go where he was, she wouldn't make her way to him. She would turn and go back, back to where she knew safety was waiting for her. Back where the temptation to speak with him was lessened, where her feelings were greatly diminished. If she could only turn back, back the way she'd come, she was sure her emotions would no longer cloud her judgment. That she could breathe again and think with reason.

When she turned, her eyes widened in disbelief as the field was transformed and she found herself now standing in the middle of the woods. Snow began to fall lightly around her, blending in with the already frozen ground on which she stood. It was still dark, but the chill in the air made her gasp with the sudden realization that she was back on Starkiller Base. Back to where she first faced off against him, lightsaber against lightsaber. The dark against the light. She could almost feel the steady pulse of her lightsaber, as if she were holding it ready in her hands.

It was an odd sensation as Rey knew she was without her lightsaber and all but defenseless in this place. Where the Force should have filled her and guided her, she felt a void, almost as if it had never been with her, never called to her.

But she knew that Starkiller Base had been destroyed well over four months ago. Nothing was left now but an emptiness that was once a large planet.

'A dream, then' she thought to herself. When her shoulders drooped, she looked down, noticing she was wearing the same clothes from that night, although in reality she'd thrown them away when she received different garments shortly after the planet had exploded from the attack from the Resistance.

Rey stood facing the broken earth, torn apart by the collapse of the planet. She should have been on the other side of that gaping hole, over by Finn and the Falcon. Instead, she was on the same side as Kylo Ren. Hoping it wasn't some sort of twisted metaphor for future events, Rey closed her eyes briefly and focused on the person moving steadily towards her. Turning away from the large hole spreading on the ground, she caught sight of a black mass walking through some low hanging brush, shrouded in darkness while she herself was being bathed in the moonlight.

Before she knew it, Kylo Ren, face covered with his personalized helmet stood before her. Less than a foot away, his robe billowing around him like a snake preparing to strike. It was impossible to know what he might have been looking at, but she could feel his eyes on her face, almost as if the heat of his gaze could stave off the cold she felt coursing through her body at the sudden temperature change.

Rey took a hesitant step back, almost forgetting the gaping hole lurking behind her. Almost.

What was she to do? Fight the monster in front of her or face the deep, vast darkness below her?

Either way, she was surrounded by darkness. Choking on it, being smothered by it. The darkness was everywhere, all around her. Like a moth to a flame, Rey looked up and began reaching for the moonlight, almost as if she could capture it to her and hold it closely. To her utter dismay, the light from the moon began to fade, to wither away and die, right before her very eyes. She was well and truly lost.

Closed off, Rey felt the breath leave her body in a rush. She coughed, sputtered, forgetting the murderer in front of her and trying to focus solely on finding the light, the Force, to help guide her in what to do.

Kylo Ren reached out, his gloved hand cupping her cheek in almost a soothing manner before he spoke, his voice distorted due to his mask. "You need a teacher. Let me train you." His words were like a caress, almost seductive in their intensity. His fingers brushed along her cheekbone, oddly soothing her and steadying her resolve. All at once Rey could breathe again, she could think.

Grabbing ahold of the hand touching her face, Rey gently pulled it down, her fingers lingering longer than necessary before she let go, glaring at the mask before her, summoning the courage inside of her that had gone into the hiding the moment she'd faced Kylo Ren.

"There is no place for me in the darkness, nor with you, Kylo Ren. I won't be seduced by the darkside." Nor by you, the words floated between them. A warning or a promise, it was hard to tell which.

Then she felt it, his immense anger, boiling over like a volcano that was erupting. His hand reached up again, lightning fast as it closed around her throat and dragged Rey as close to his mask as she could get.

"I'll show you the darkside." He hissed down at her.

Rey awoke with a start, beads of sweating rolling down her forehead as she sat up on her cot, wiping her face with her forearm. Her hands shook when she placed them back on her blanket. Closing her eyes, Rey pictured a waterfall, urging herself to listen to the way the water crashed down in a rhythmic motion, letting herself feel the cooling mist that gently flowed around her. She could almost touch it, almost taste it. With every breath she took, the image in her mind grew stronger, allowing herself to feel the calmness as it seeped into her skin, relaxing her muscles and halting the turmoil in her mind.

It was a trick Master Luke had shown her once she'd told him about the dreams she'd been having. The nightmares. It always ended the same way, with Kylo Ren asking her to join him and her refusing, only to face a brief moment of his wrath before finding herself sitting up in her room, panting heavily as if he'd truly been choking the life out of her body. As if he'd been there with her, his hand at her throat and his body pressed along hers.

Generally it was easy for her to determine the dream as it was occurring, yet this time... This time she'd been confused from the very start and his presence had been so strong in her mind, Rey was nearly positive he'd been there with her. As if he had crept into her mind and taken the place of the shadowy figure her mind had created all those months ago. Master Luke had informed her that it was normal after enduring such a traumatic experience to have nightmares about her captor, but after tonight, Rey was uncertain.

Could Kylo Ren have been haunting her dreams all of these months? And if so, what did it mean now that the dream was getting stronger?

Unsure of the time, Rey stood up and wrapped a thin robe around her body before stepping from her sleeping quarters and moving steadily towards Master Luke's own room. Not wanting to intrude to deeply, Rey sent out a tiny pulse with the Force, gently nudging her Master's mind as she made her way down one hallway and then the next, steadily coming closer to him.

As Rey reached the door to his quarters, it opened slowly and the friendly face of Luke Skywalker looked down upon her.

"I could sense your troubled mind as soon as you awoke. Come," he beckoned her into his rooms, shutting the door smoothly behind Rey as she stepped inside.

Not seeing the need to beat around the bush, Rey spoke up.

"Master Luke, have you ever known the Force to be used to invade dreams?"

He didn't even blink before answering. "The Force can be used for many a great things, Rey. It wouldn't be farfetched to assume one might be able to enter another mind while it dreamed. After all, if we can use a Jedi mind trick on the conscious, it would only be a step further to project ones self into another's mind."

Rey nodded her head, having already known the answer. Her feelings had already urged her to listen to the truth, but Rey had stubbornly refused this once, hoping she had been wrong or misled.

"Rey," Master Luke said gently, placing a light hand on her shoulder. "What troubles you?"

"I think I've been manipulated by Kylo Ren the last few months. I thought..." She trailed off for a few moments before continuing. "I thought perhaps at first it might have just been my own mind, creating his likeness and mannerisms. But... Tonight it was far more real. He was more real and stronger than ever before. He felt... Closer, more sinister and more determined than ever to take me with him." To where, she had no idea, but Rey knew wherever he took her, it wouldn't be good.

"Rey, are you certain what you've sense is true? That Kylo Ren is closer? Do you believe he's tracked you down to this planet?"

Her first reaction was to adamantly deny that Kylo Ren could be near them, near one of the secret locations of the Resistance. However, the more she pondered his question, the more she felt with a dreaded certainty that he was nearby, waiting.

Rey closed her eyes, letting the Force guide her mind as she felt herself drifting away from her body and floating through the universe, seeking any sort of connection she might have with Kylo Ren. Perhaps she could find a trace of him left behind from when he had searched her mind all those months ago. Maybe if her conscious could find his, she would be able to follow it back to him, or at least as far as she could get without making herself known. If she didn't sense him near their hidden base on Tatooine, or even in the same system, then she could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

As her mind wandered out into the vastness of the universe, it took only a moment before her mind connected with the darkness that was Kylo Ren. Rey dropped the connection in an instant, almost falling back and out of the chair Master Luke had seated her at earlier. Her eyes whipped open and without missing a beat, Rey spoke. "He's here, Master Luke. How did he manage to mask his presence so thoroughly?"

She stood hastily, nearly knocking over the chair that only moments ago had been supporting her weight.

"It seems since the death of Han Solo, he has been completing the rest of his training. The more powerful he grows, the more he is able to conceal himself from those who use the Force."

Since he murdered his father, Rey wanted to shout. Instead, she searched within herself for the calmness she always kept close, mentally dusting it off and placing it around her shoulders like an old friend.

Becoming upset and angry would not help the situation they found themselves in, only logic and reason could save them now.

"Do you think he's here to attack the Resistance?"

Master Luke focused, his lips pursed slightly under his long beard. "I sense he has only one purpose Rey, and that purpose is to obtain you. To mold you into the perfect apprentice. You must not fall."

"My faith in the Force is absolute, Master." She whispered the words, although knowing Kylo Ren was near, she found herself for the first time truly doubting herself.

She should have known he was nearby, should have sensed his presence. Instead, she had fallen victim to him, yet again. She had let him invade her mind, to take over and fill herself with images and thoughts of him, every single night. In a bizarre way, it was almost as if she knew him, as if they were close.

"Please Master Luke, what do we do?"

"Luckily this base has been all but cleared out of Resistance fighters." They had been preparing to move to a new location in another system, however, Rey and Master Luke had stayed behind to train for a few weeks on his home planet. Rey suspected Master Luke had missed his home planet and wanted a few weeks to relive the teenager he'd once been. "We will alert the remaining crews, urge them to leave this planet with only whats necessary and to be hasty in their departure from this planet." Rey nodded in agreement, knowing that he was giving her the correct solution. "You and I will grab our X-Wings and follow them out. We can protect them as well as we can."

~*~

The crew had been awakened, notified of the possible threat and urged to use any means necessary to ensure a speedy exit. Knowing their cover was blown, Master Luke saw no need to use stealth to aid in their escape. The First Order had practically set their sights on the rebel base already.

Rey had gone back to her quarters, grabbing only a grey top, a matching pair of grey capris, her boots and grey wraps that covered most of her arms. Next came her brown leather belt that she wrapped twice around her waist before placing the tiny blaster Han Solo had given her in the strap on her back and also clipping Master Luke's old lightsaber onto the right side of her belt. The weapons pulled down heavily on her belt, but after a few weeks, Rey had grown accustomed to the feeling.

She no longer needed the blaster, having made herself well acquainted with the force, but she held on to it anyway, as a reminder of all she had lost and all that had been taken. Retracing her steps, Rey found herself outside of Master Luke's living area, pacing restlessly back and forth, ignoring the gentle sway of her lightsaber with every move of her hips.

Her Master came towards her from the opposite end of the hallway, using a much brisker pace than Rey was accustomed to seeing him use. "The crew is departing in a few moments. Are you ready?"

With a slight nod, Rey followed him down the hall, through a set of double doors and out onto the loading bay. A few more steps and she was at her X-Wing, checking over the mechanics to ensure it was all in the condition she had left it in. It would have been a lot easier to know if her ship was in tip top shape had BB-8 been present, but he'd left with Poe Dameron over a week ago with one of the last fleets to depart for the new base. Which was good he was gone, having taken Finn with him. Rey didn't know what she would do if they were taken prisoner by The First Order.

Rey continued her quick perusal before looking towards the ship that was being filled with the last of the crew to be on this base. She could feel their worry, and their fear. It filled her with a wave of unease before she brushed it away with her mind, sending out positive thoughts to the ones boarding the ship. Waving assuredly at the departing crew, Rey turned toward Master Luke and smiled at him sadly.

Rey had a feeling they wouldn't be seeing much of each other after this, although she had a hard time understanding why she felt that.

"What do you sense, Rey? Search your feelings."

"I feel this is the most logical step we could have taken, Master, given the circumstances." With a curious look at his student, Luke Skywalker hopped into this X-Wing fighter, flipping all the switches necessary to start up the air craft. Rey followed suit, resting herself comfortably in her seat, placing her hands on the steering console, Rey followed behind her Master, who was doing his best to protect the group of people in the ship before them. She barely remembered to put on her fighter pilot helmet, knowing she would need it to communicate with the ship they were currently protecting from The First Order.

His best will be enough, Rey could sense that. She could also sense the impending doom that lurked before her. Was there any way to avoid it?

As they flew upward, exiting the planet and entering space, Rey noticed a First Order ship off in the distance, coming closer.

"We should be able to make it safely. Enter into light speed on the count of 3."

"Roger that, Gold Leader." Echoed in the helmet Rey was wearing. She made sure to flip the tiny container on her up, allowing her easy access to the button necessary for light speed.

3..

2..

1..

Rey watched the other two ships disappear right before her very eyes. Wasting not a moment more, Rey hit the button in front of her, hands clenching on the steering console almost painfully. When nothing happened, Rey's heart leapt into her throat even as she tried to determine the reason behind the X-Wing's failure to jump to light speed.

She felt The First Order creeping closer to her and before she could try to figure out the malfunction of her craft, the dash went black, the engine switching off as well. Then she was being pulled backward, at a slow but steady pace.

Rey could feel the Force dragging her and her X-Wing with almost no hesitation, no struggle. She was being pulled backward in space towards the large First Order ship that was opening its loading bay, preparing to capture her. At least she would be awake this time when she entered the ship, unlike the first time Kylo Ren had carried her aboard. Perhaps this time she could figure her way out before she'd even docked in their ship.

Rey still couldn't quite grasp how Kylo Ren was exuding so much power.

Master Luke was right. Kylo Ren was becoming more powerful than they could have foreseen. Much more powerful.

Rey closed her eyes, using her own power, her own bond with the Force to influence the movement of the X-Wing. Perhaps if she could remove it from Kylo Ren's dangerous grip, she could control the fighter herself until she was safely away to attempt light speed once more.

Just as her mind reached out, brushing against the force that was Kylo Ren, she felt him startle and then become excited before he reached out as well, gripping her mind in a vise and squeezing painfully.

Feeling doomed was the last thing Rey remembered before she passed out.


	2. Chapter 2

Kylo Ren paced back and forth, moving restlessly in the abandoned section of his ship. Had there been subordinates lurking, Kylo Ren would have maintained a cool, unaffected disposition. Instead he was alone and left to do as he pleased without informants reporting back his irate behavior to the Supreme Leader.

That thought had him standing still, upper lip curling in irritation at the knowledge he was being constantly watched by those around him, like a animal on display and locked in a cage. The facial movement upset the delicate scar that marred his face, causing a new wave of irritation to flow through him. Irritation and anger, knowing the menace who had given him such a mark was laying in the other room, all but defenseless. Useless and vulnerable in her current situation. She was a prisoner and she would bow down before him before the end.

Rey, the scavenger scum. Although she was not exactly a scavenger. At least, she hadn't been when she was originally abandoned that worthless planet, Jakku.

How his blood boiled just at the thought of her, at how easily she had been able to wield the Force during their last true encounter. He might have grown increasingly stronger since their last meeting, but even he knew she might possibly be capable of taking him down someday. How easy it seemed for her to resist the pull of their minds, how swiftly she told him no when he gave her every opportunity to join him, to join the darkside each night when he penetrated her mind and wreaked havoc in her dreamscape.

Each night he came to her, always in the same place and always in the same manner. Always seeking her out, drawn to her like a moth to a flame. When he first began the invasion, it was his duty, the Supreme Leader's bidding to sway her to their side. However, as the nights turned to weeks and into months, it became personal to Kylo Ren. It became a challenge, an intrigue and lately it became a type of sick joy, knowing he could come to her so easily, that some part of her longed to see him in her unconscious mind, even if she knew it was wrong. That was how it became easier and easier to enter my unconscious, because a part of her was letting him inside, leading him to her. If only she were aware she had been doing it, Kylo Ren knew she would be beside herself, no doubt filled with turmoil.

He nearly smiled.

He had caused that indecision to blossom in her mind, had begun to sense her resolve weakening each time he held her to him, invading her space. She craved him like an addict craved a fix. Kylo Ren relished that desire, that want. He could sense it, feel it. He knew in the darkest part of her soul she wanted to know him, although she didn't understand why. She was frightened by it and in feeling such fear, she did everything with the Force to keep those emotions, those feelings at bay. As much as she felt drawn to him, she also felt hatred for the unspeakable actions he had committed in his lifetime. Such strong emotions warred within her, which was perfect for Kylo Ren's plans to conquer her and dominate her. When he was through with her, Rey would bow down to the power of the darkside.

She belonged to the darkside, to him. Even if the pathetic light still filtered through her very soul, she was meant to stand by his side. To be greater and more powerful than the lightside was ever capable of making her. Of making anyone. Didn't she see that? Or was her mind so simple as to be influenced into the light by none other than Luke Skywalker? So besotted with the only Jedi left that she assumed she could deny Kylo Ren what he desired? That she could forever evade the pull to him? He knew she felt it. He felt it too. And to know that his uncle, that Skywalker, had taken charge of her, it made him mad with rage. Jealousy was as strong an emotion as any, and he let it build inside him, like a tsunami that was close to destroying an entire village of people. Violent and unpredictable.

His upper lip curled again in disgust at the mere thought of Skywalker teaching Rey anything, although a passerby would never have noticed the movement beneath his mask. His fist clenched angrily, the leather glove making a small squeaking noise as he gripped his fist tighter and tighter.

She sought counsel and training from that pathetic excuse of a Jedi Master, sought to have him mold her into a Jedi as well, yet she refused the advances of Kylo Ren himself, turning him down time and time again, almost as if he was some love sick fool and she was better than him and his ways. As if he could never even be on the same level as her.

No one was better than him, especially not a weakminded Jedi in training who hadn't been able to keep him from her thoughts.

She would come to him, beg him to train her, to guide her into his life. He could break her and remold her into how he saw her, how he knew she could become if she were only to give in to her feelings.

Rey would join the darkside or die.

~*~

She lay on a bench that was attached to the wall of her prison, feigning sleep as she faced the wall.

Rey took the time she was alone to backtrack the previous few hours, coming to terms with the fact she was well and truly captured. Perhaps if a guard came in she could use a Jedi mind trick to escape, just like last time. She could take his weapon and send him on his way, none the wiser about his encounter with her.

However, Rey had a sinking suspicion she would not be encountering any Stormtroopers this time. Not if Kylo Ren had learned from the mistake he had made last time, and she was sure he had. Kylo Ren was many things, but Rey never thought him stupid.

Being this close to him, she could feel his emotions without hardly any effort, so raw and alive they nearly hurt Rey to feel them in such proximity.

Her mind, almost of its own accord, brushed his. She recoiled at the hatred and jealousy that seemed to come at her like a tidal wave, nearly jumping from the bench and giving away her ruse to anyone who might have been spying on her.

Instead, she let her breaths in and out, keeping a steady rythym as she lightly peeked at Kylo Ren with as little Force as she could in attempt to remain undetected. He, so lost in his own musings, didn't seem to notice as she tapped into his most conscious thoughts, listening in on his inner dialogue.

'She will join the darkside or die.' Came to her clearly.

At least Rey knew her time on this ship would be short and hopefully not terribly painful before she became one with the Force. She felt a sting of fear, which she knew she must have passed along the thin thread that connected her to Kylo Ren. She didn't seem to care about that any longer, withdrawing from his mind and focusing on her own thoughts. The thought of death frightened Rey, but she was also comforted with the knowledge she might finally meet her grandfather when she became one with the Force. Maybe she would even be strong enough to hold a full conversation with him. Obi Wan Kenobi.

The very man Ben Solo had been named for, and he was sure to cut her down. To reunite a family even as he had torn his own apart. That thought seemed to dissipate a bit of her fear, knowing that there was something waiting for her after this life was undoubtedly cut short.

Rey would never join the darkside. She had seen it's influence yield terrible results. Cities, planets destroyed... And for what reason? Power. It was always about power for those who followed in the shadows, who let the darkest parts of their souls reign supreme in their lives. Rey didn't think anything could ever sway her to the darkside.

No longer interested in playing the role of unconscious captive, Rey sat up on the bench, allowing her back to touch the wall, one leg dangling over the side while the other was bent, foot resting comfortable on the bench while she waited. She knew who was coming for her. Kylo Ren.

'Join the darkside or die.' Echoed through her mind. Why was he so determined she align herself with him? Even on Starkiller Base, Rey knew he hadn't been trying to kill her when they had dueled. Even then, he had been fixated on becoming her Master, on teaching her all he knew about the Force. But why? She didn't know if she would ever understand it. Understand him. It didn't seem she had the luxurious of time to figure any of it out as she was definitely marked for death.

Now she just had to wait for death to be delivered to her on a silver platter.

~*~

Another hour passed, possibly two, before she heard the locking mechanism on the sliding door deactivate. There was a whoosh of sound and a bright light that shined into her holding cell, before Kylo Ren in all of his glory filled the space, blocking out the light in an instant before stepping into the room. The door shut behind him ominously.

Seeing him in her dreams and encountering him in real life were two very different things.

In her dreams, he always seemed intimidating, but shrouded in mystery, almost like an illusion. Like her mind had fogged over certain aspects of him, making him seem less formidable in her sleep.

Staring up at him now as he approached, Rey could feel the Force emanating from him, almost in waves. He seemed taller, which struck Rey as odd as he was already at a great height, at least a foot taller than herself. His robes were the same and his mask shined with a certain newness. Most likely due to the other one blowing up with Starkiller Base. That thought almost had her smirking, however, she was a bit too preoccupied with the man before her. He looked more like a creature than a man, covered in layers of clothing and that dreaded mask.

Oh how she hated the mask he wore.

"Perhaps had I been strapped down on a steel contraption, this might have felt like a reunion of sorts." She bit out at him, refusing to let him frighten her. And he did scare her. In fact, Rey was terrified of him for many reasons, some of them she didn't want to admit to herself. What was the point when she was about to die?

"I can always strap you down, if that is your desire. You are my guest, after all." His words came out distorted through the mask, sending a shiver down Rey's spine. She straightened her back along the wall, determined to not be intimidated by him. She was strong with the Force and with herself. She would not break by the likes of him.

Kylo Ren took a seat across from her, elbows resting on his knees, hands clenched together. She could feel his eyes on her face, almost as if he could see right through her. It was unsettling, feeling that and not being able to stare back into the eyes that scraped over her own features.

"I know you have been awake for a while. Are you holding out hope Skywalker will come to your rescue?" He bit the words out mockingly, as if a rescue were impossible. She knew he was well aware that was her method of escape last time. Back when Han Solo came for her, to take her home to the Resistance. Back when he murdered his own father in order to gain more power.

"I was merely taking the time to think there were worse things than death." She said the words pointedly at him, willing him to understand what she meant. The only thing she could possibly to be worse than her demise was to join him.

"Oh?" His voice became light, but she could sense the anger beginning to seep through the facade.

"Careful, Kylo Ren. You might have grown in power, but so have I. I can feel the anger building around you as you await my answer. Are you always so ruled by your anger? By your hate?" Immediately his emotions dissipated, almost as if they were never there to begin with.

"It is how I have learned to master the Force, to bend it to my will. I have grown in way you could not possibly imagine and soon, I will rule the darkside with you by my side."

Rey's mouth dropped open, although she had been expecting a spiel similar to that one. However, she hadn't expected him to think they would be ruling the darkside together. She had only assumed to be a pawn against the Resistance.

"What could I possibly offer you, Kylo Ren, the Master of the Knights of Ren, that you could not possibly already have lain at your feet?" She felt a tiny pull of indecision from him, almost as if he were unsure of the answer himself. That was intriguing...

"You are strong with the Force and you have only become stronger since learning how to properly wield it." True. All true. Yet she didn't think that was why he wanted her with him. "Once you align yourself with the darkside, you will be a valuable asset to the Supreme Leader." That last bit was a lie. She could feel it.

"To you, you mean? You don't want me to join your side for the benefit of Snoke." She paused, closing herself off from everything else, just for a brief moment. She needed to trust her instincts, let them guide her. She sought out the truth, opening her eyes when she felt it coming from her lips. "You want me for yourself. You've grown tired of being alone Kylo Ren, and you have brought me here to be yours." He stood up abruptly, taking the few short steps necessary before he was pulling her up from the bench lifting her to his eye level. Her feet dangling several inches from the ground and her arms would likely have bruises later from the force of his hold. The abrupt change in location didn't slow down Rey's words as she practically spit them out at him. "It eats at you, knowing another has come into my life to train me and you were rejected. I can feel your anger, but I can also feel the loneliness that eats at you, threatens to swallow you whole."

"Stop talking." The words hissed out, his mask brushing along the side of her face when he said the words into her ear. Shaking her head, Rey continued. Her words were filled with disbelief.

"Why do you want me so badly?"

Kylo Ren dropped her abruptly, stepping aside as she crumpled to the floor to stare up at him. He paced back and forth in the tiny cell for a few seconds before reaching up and unlocking his mask, the slight noise of air escaping as he pulled it from his head and set it on the bench behind Rey.

He knelt down, staring at her fully for the first time in months without his mask.

The scar she had given him had healed nicely, leaving a thin line that went from his forehead, cut across his nose and ended right before it reached his jaw. For some odd reason Rey was tempted to touch it. Instead she remained still, seemingly unfazed. His hair was slightly longer than it had been last time. The long black waves came just past his shoulders. His eyes were still so deeply brown they looked almost like black onyx.

The first time Rey had seen him, she had thought him beautiful. But she had been so frightened and when he had taken his mask off, she had become even more scared. She didn't think someone so handsome should have been so evil.

Now, without the terror gripping her heart at her situation, Rey could actually just look at him and take in the knowledge that he was breathtaking and captivating.

Kylo Ren reached out, brushing his hand along her cheek. The sensation was exactly how she remembered from her dream and Rey shut her eyes, well aware where this encounter would lead them. Always to the same conclusion. That was the part where he asked her to join him, she would say no and he would hurt her.

"I want you because you are beautiful. You think the light is the only option, but it's not. The dark can offer so much more for you. You can be so much more." He said soothingly. Rey's eyes snapped open as his grip went to her jaw rather forcefully, yanking her head up until their eyes clashed. He smirked at her, eyes turning into daggers as he bit out his next words, all gentleness leaving him. "I want to break you down, piece by piece until there is no light left inside of you. I want you to be so enamored that you will do anything I ask, that you will want to please me. Then, when you are at your most vulnerable, I want to build you back up, mold you into the perfect partner. I want the darkside to flow through your veins, I want it to be the only life source that is available to you. You are mine." His face edged closer to hers, his eyes lingering on her lips before coming back up to lock on the rest of her face. He took her in with his eyes, almost as if he saw her so differently while behind his mask.

"Have you always had such a fascination with wanting what you cannot have?" Rey wanted to shout the words at him, the spit in his too handsome face. Instead she mustered up whatever tranquility was still stored inside of her and spoke calmly. Matter of factly. She wouldn't let this man break her. No matter what torture he devised up.

He hissed out a breath at her before smiling at her as if he had won. It was sinister and cunning and Rey found she didn't like it at all.

Kylo Ren leaned down until he held her in an embrace, his lips pressing against her ear. Rey's eyes widened at the embrace, at the knowledge that his arms were wrapped around her. Why did she let him do that? Why didn't she stop him? She could have Force Pushed him across the room and instead she'd let him capture her in his arms without any hesitation whatsoever. Drawn to him like a moth to a flame. What was wrong with her? She reached up to grip his sides, intending to push him away from her. Instead her hands just rested there, absorbing the heat from his body.

"You will join the darkside or die." He whispered at her, almost seductively despite the horror his words held.

"I cannot join the darkside. I won't." Her voice trembled as he held her closer, his gloved hands warm on her back. She couldn't remember a time anyone had ever just held her before. It was comforting, although the man hugging her to him was anything but that.

"You will." And with that he stood up, cutting off their contact as he reached for the helmet on the bench now above her. He placed the mask on his head, turning to leave the room without looking at her. He stopped at the door as it opened, turning his head to the side and speaking. "You are mine." And with that he left.

Rey sat on the cold floor, unsure of what to do. She had honestly been expecting him to hug the life out of her, crush her body with the Force and end her life once she refused, again, to join him. Instead he just left. No anger, no destroying what little was left in the holding cell. Rey knew from the stories Finn had told that Kylo Ren was a loose cannon, always throwing lightsaber temper tantrums whenever something did not go his way. But this Kylo Ren had been different, had been harder. Darker.

Had that been the result of killing his own father? Had the light that had been warring with the dark inside of him finally been extinguished after he had killed Han Solo?

Rey thought back to shortly after, when he'd attacked Finn and her. He'd been unhinged after the incident and looking at it now, Rey was sure he had been in shock over what he had done to his own flesh and blood. Now he seemed to have better control of his emotions, at least at expressing them. It made him seem harder, more frightening.

Probably worked wonders on keeping the Stormtroopers in line.

~*~

Kylo Ren stood outside the door to her cell, doing his best to mask his presence from her, not wanting her to know he lingered so closely. That even after several minutes, he still lurked outside her cell, almost as if he could feel her presence trying to pull him near.

Their meeting had gone a bit better than he had originally anticipated. Rey was definitely drawn to him and seemed to respond better when he wasn't wearing his helmet. Face to face, Rey humanized him. He would use that, then. Come to her without his armor, make her feel differently towards him. Make her feel like he was capable of kindness, of mercy.

However, Rey did need to be punished for her refusal to join him.

Kylo smiled at the thought.


	3. Chapter 3

Rey sat on the ground for hours. The floor was cold and hard, causing her body to ache after such a prolong amount of sitting. However, Rey didn't move from her position. She had been there since Kylo Ren stalked out of the cell, almost as if she could not wrap her mind around the events that had taken place.

She thought denying the darkside once more would be the end of her. Shouldn't she have been killed shortly after? But no, it seemed Kylo Ren had far more sinister plans for her before she were to meet the end.

'I want to break you down, piece by piece, until there is no light left inside of you.' Rey shivered as his voice floated through her mind, allowing her to relive that event again. Everything that he had said to her. He wanted to turn her against Master Luke, against the Resistance. Did he think she would be so easily manipulated? Rey knew down to her deepest foundations, she was a bringer of light. There was no way she could be so corruptible.

Just as Kylo Ren claimed the light held no sway over him, Rey felt the same of the dark. Granted, she felt the pull of it, each and every day. Every decision she made, the shadows lurked, almost as if they were waiting for the perfect opportunity to take her over. But from speaking with Master Luke on previous occasions, Rey knew that the dark was always nearby. But it wasn't snuffing out the darkness that made someone at one with the Force, it was accepting it as it was and moving on from it. That was how to truly become a Jedi Master.

Looking down at her hands, Rey took a deep breath, letting it out slowly.

She closed her eyes, reaching out with the Force, hoping she would be able to find Master Luke's presence, and at the same time hoping he was nowhere near her, wherever she was.

A rescue might have been wanted from Rey, but she knew the likelihood of survival should Master Luke come on his own was slim. Kylo Ren was a force to be reckoned with. Rey didn't want anyone to come to harm because of her, because she was weaker than her advisory. That was why when she felt out and felt nothing, she could breathe a short sigh of relief.

She might have been safe, but at least those she cared about would be.

Feeling a bit more in control of herself, Rey took the time to think about her situation with Kylo Ren. Obviously he thought they were connected on some level, meant to belong on the same side and rule whatever world he was envisioning. Rey wanted to deny to herself that she didn't feel anything for him, he was a monster. And yet, he had been penetrating her dreams for so long, Rey knew it was cowardice to pretend she wasn't drawn to the very shadows that seemed to surround him.

It was almost like a part of him was inside of her, with the darkness she kept at bay. Knowing he had come to her, had truly shown himself to her, it left her baffled. A small part of her almost considered he might have cared for her, as Rey, not just a wielder of the Force. But after his words about breaking her into nothing and remolding her into someone he found worthy, Rey knew there was no hope for a man like Kylo Ren. He would never truly care about anyone as a human being or otherwise, only as a tool to gain him more favor, more power with the Force.

He might hold her in his arms or gently touch her cheek, but she was beginning to understand she was being seduced by the darkside. With every motion, physical touch, Kylo Ren was giving her what she had always craved all of those years abandoned on Jakku. He'd been in her mind enough times now to know here weaknesses. One of those was physical touch, having been denied it for so many years.

How foolish she had been, even momentarily to think he was capable of truly caring for her on any level.

He had murdered the man who raised him. Why would she think he would be capable of redemption, of wanting her on any level that wasn't sinister?

He wasn't capable of kindness. Of love or compassion. And Rey knew that no matter what happened now or in the future, she wouldn't let herself fall prey to him on any level. She didn't want to live a life without the light, because to her, that wouldn't be a life at all.

~*~

She was asleep on the bench sometime much later, having gone to sleep hungry and exhausted. Drained physically and emotionally.

When the scenery in her mind changed, she found herself in that same field of wheat, standing alone in the darkness. Except now, knowing she wasn't actually alone in her dream, Rey centered her mind, feeling him out, seeking him for the first time. When she felt his presence, Rey turned to the left, following the invisible string that seemed to tether their two souls together.

"As if he has a soul left," Rey muttered to herself, confident it would carry to her enemy. And he was her enemy, of that she had no doubt. Rey moved as subtly as possible, feeling a certain disturbance in this dreamscape she hadn't exactly felt before. Almost as if it were more masculine, different. Was she even in her own dream? Granted, the field was the exact same, yet instead of fleeing as she was always compelled to do in her own dreams, she was following a different path she hadn't ever noticed before.

Had she possibly crept into his own head while she slept?

She kept walking until the setting abruptly changed. It was still night, rain was crashing down all around her, soaking her hair, her body and her clothes, causing the thin fabric to stick to her skin. She blinked several times, willing the water off of her eyelashes. She had never dreamed about this before. She didn't think she had ever even seen this type of weather, even though she knew she was in the middle of a rainstorm.

Looking about her at the darkness, no hint of moonlight to guide her path, Rey was almost certain she had crept into Kylo Ren's head.

She saw him then, standing with his back to her, lightsaber ignited and down at his side, almost as if he were expecting an attack. Perhaps he should have been, given she had come to him uninvited.

His shoulders rose and fell with each deep breath he took, the saber swinging lowly back and forth, hissing as the rain continued to fall on the weapon. The rocky surface she found herself standing upon was interesting. Were they on some sort of mountain ridge? She looked around her but could only see Kylo Ren less than ten feet from her, drenched in the rain.

He turned then, stepping towards her. She took a cautious step back, lifting her hand and using a small push of the Force to halt his movements.

"I think you've come close enough." She shouted above the rain, uncaring that she probably looked like a drowned rat.

He tilted his masked head, not saying a word, just staring at her as if she were some sort of puzzle he had yet to work out.

"Where are we? Why did you bring me here?"

"You've come here of your own accord. But I thought perhaps you might want to see the last place you were as a child before I abandoned you to rot on Jakku." His words came out mockingly and Rey took an angry step forward, her eyes daring him to use his lightsaber on her. Instead, he sheathed the weapon, clipping the hilt onto his belt before stepping towards her as well, as if he were looking forward to whatever would happen next.

"You don't know me, Kylo Ren."

"I know all about you, Rey Kenobi. Has your precious Master Luke failed to inform you that he always knew you? What a shame." He removed his mask, letting it drop to the ground beside them as he stared down at her, the rain beginning to hit his hair. Rey tried to process his words, instead she rejected them.

"I won't turn on my friends just because you spit venomous words in my direction."

"I am only giving you the truth. Isn't that what you've always wanted?" He reached to brush his hand along her face, as he did each evening. This time, Rey, full of anger, Force Pushed him as hard as she could, watching in satisfaction as he flew a few feet backward, landing on the ground with a thud. His eyes narrowed as he stood and brushed himself off, which was useless with all the rain covering him.

"You're angry. Haunted. I can feel it. Just give in to it. It will make this so much easier."

"I won't," Rey bit out, attempting to push him yet again with her mind.

Kylo Ren was prepared for it and held out his hand, rebuffing her attack as if he were swatting at a pesky bug. For a moment the rain between them hung suspended in the air as their minds fought for supremacy. Rey continued to hold him off, struggling with her own emotions as she struggled to beat him.

Then she was being gripped by invisible hands on her throat, being dragged over to him as if she had never stood a chance.

"You are in my head tonight, Rey. I long ago learned to dominate the dreamscape, which is why visiting your head is so simple." He waved his hand at her, causing her body to become immobile as she came to a stop directly in front of him.

This time he cupped her cheek in his hand. "Once, long ago, you knew a young man named Ben Solo." Her eyes widened. He smirked at her, leaning in closely. "Yes. Before I destroyed him and became something more, you knew him at the Jedi Academy that was being run by Luke Skywalker. Doesn't this place look familiar?" He allowed her head to move as the harsh rain let up slightly. Looking around as the rain cleared enough to let her see, Rey gasped in horror as she saw all the bodies laying on the harsh terrain. Children, some so young that Rey felt a tear escape her eye before she could stop it. Each were clad in an outfit similar to Master Luke's, burn marks marring the fronts of their clothing. Training robes then.

Off in the distance there was a bang from an explosion that lit the night sky. She could see what looked like a temple now being smothered in flames that seemed to stretch high into the sky. The flames cast an eerie glow around them, flickering around the dead bodies and shrouding part of her captor's face in darkness. Just as quickly the rain picked up again, the bodies around them disappearing as if they had never been.

"You're a monster!" Rey cried out, using as much of her inner strength as she could to break his hold. Without much thought to the consequences, she reached up and slapped him hard across the face, relishing the sound it made when her hand connected with him. Some of the fury dissipated as the stinging of her hand intensified, leaving behind so much sorrow it consumed her.

She breathed heavily as he turned his head back to face her. Rey charged, her emotion and heartache fueling her movements as she lunged for him, tackling him to the ground, trying to hit him with her fists. He blocked her attempts easily enough, flipping her onto her back as he straddled her waist. His hands grabbed hers and pinned them over her head, effectively holding her down with his own body. She was trapped beneath him, feeling completely vulnerable. So lost in her own turmoil, Rey didn't think to use the Force to pry him away from her. All she could think about was the fact she should have died that night too, and instead she had lived.

"Why would you spare me the death you gave so many others?" The question haunted her. It made her realize that was possibly the reason Master Luke had kept the truth from her. He didn't want her to feel so terribly about something she had no control over.

Her breathing was labored with her fury, her breasts rising harshly against his chest as he knelt down closely. She wanted him to move away, to keep his distance, but a small part of her felt unreasonably safe around him. Cared for. It made her sick.

Kylo Ren had broken down a part of her, made her wish for contact even though she knew it was wrong. And she hated him for it.

"You know the answer."

His face hovered just slightly above her own, his cheek red from her hand. His eyes darkened, like pools of obsidian were shining down at her. Then his lips were pressed into hers almost brutally. His free hand reached behind her neck, gripping her harshly and tilting her head back to allow him better access to her lips.

~*~

Rey sat up with a start, nearly falling off of the bench she was occupying in the process. Her breathing was rough and ragged, her pulse hammering along her neck. She reached up with a shaky hand, pressing her fingertips to her swollen lips.

Rey leaned against the wall, a thin blanket covering her legs as she just sat there, staring off into space. Trying desperately to block out everything that had happened.

She knew him as Ben Solo? He had spared her life... And he kissed her. But it hadn't been intimate, it had been punishing.

Rey shivered, scared to think about what the future would hold for her.

~*~

The next day passed uneventfully. Rey meditated throughout most of it, imagining herself somewhere else than her cell. The meditation was good to keep the hunger pangs at bay. She hadn't had food since her and Master Luke had safely ushered out the crew from the abandoned Rebel base. However, growing up on Jakku where she had to scavenge in the hopes of obtaining her next meal, Rey was accustomed to missing meals, sometimes for days on end.

So she sat on the bench or on the floor, she meditated and she did what exercises she could in her tiny cell. Rey did whatever she could to keep herself distracted, to keep the thoughts of death, second chances and Kylo Ren at bay.

It shouldn't have been a stretch for her to realize she was once connected with the Skywalker's at a young age. After all, Obi Wan had given Luke his first lightsaber, had introduced him to the ways of the Jedi.

It made sense she would make the acquaintance of the Skywalker clan. It made sense that she might have known Ben Solo, although he would have been about five to ten years older than her at the time. For the first time, Rey began to wonder what Ben Solo had been like when she had apparently known him. Had he been kind and caring? Or had he always been so troubled, so full of darkness that he was lost almost as soon as he began to feel the pull of the Force? Han and General Organa had been so certain he was capable of redemption, that he would come home. It made Rey sad to realize that would likely never happen.

Later that evening, Rey kept vigilant in her cell and in her mind. She didn't shut her eyes to escape into the unconscious because she knew what would be lying in wait for her.

Instead, she meditated and focused on the Force, letting it swirl around her body like a cloak, protecting her from whatever might come her way in the night.

~*~

Another day passed.

Then another.

No food, no water. Rey didn't even fall asleep, only allowing herself a trancelike state every few hours to slightly rest her body and mind. She wasn't even granted a peaceful nights sleep. The only thing Rey was given was isolation. So much isolation. It reminded her of Jakku. The constant lack of sound. Being always so alone it was nearly unbearable to think about. The only reason Rey kept calm was because she knew this was his punishment for her. Kylo Ren wanted to break her down and he knew how to do it.

If Rey had been weaker, she might have succumbed already, might have reached out begging for him to set her free.

However, Rey was stronger than she looked. She had survived years and years by herself, always on the outside. A few days was nothing. In fact, she would die from lack of food and drink before she surrendered to the darkside.

Besides, Rey knew if she reached out that Kylo Ren would be there, the ever present weight on her senses. If Rey craved contact so much she could fall asleep and allow herself the opportunity to be near another person, but Rey was nervous of encountering him again. Afraid that if he came to her in such a weakened state she would be powerless to fight back against whatever assault he had prepared for her.

Rey wouldn't give in. She couldn't.

~*~

Rey was in the field again. Always the damn field. Only this time she was on her knees, too weak to stand. Sunlight poured down on her head, bathing her in its warmth light. Rey almost smiled at the feeling, almost as if she were truly outside and under the sun's powerful rays.

Struck with a fierce wind, Rey felt her body sway before falling backward, her arms not even attempting to stop the fall. She'd been without food for over a week and had finally succumbed to a true sleep. The meditation had worked up to a point, giving her a flicker of rest every so often, but the mind was delicate, as was the body. Without slipping into an unconscious state, she had been hurting herself each day that passed until finally her body had given out on her, sending her into the dreamscape. Rey hadn't even remembered closing her eyes to fall asleep, so she was probably sprawled out on the hard, cold floor of her cell.

Rey wanted to sigh in relief, knowing her body was at least receiving one thing to help keep it alive, however, even in her dream she was exhausted. Her mind was too worn out to allow her to do anything other than lay there and stare up at the sky, which was full of white fluffy clouds that seemed to pass by at a leisurely pace.

"You should give in to me." Kylo was standing beside her prone form, a glower on his handsome face. He was staring down at her, almost confused by her behavior.

"I think we are well past that." Rey said softly, glancing away from him as he sat down beside her. She would have scooted to allow him room to stretch out, but even that would have been a chore, so Rey merely lay there.

"I can feel your weariness beating at you. You're hungry and lonely." No, Rey thought. She was dying. She could feel it, her body finally deciding it was ready to end the struggle and a small part of her was glad. She had held firmly to her beliefs, to her loyalty to the light.

He gripped her hand in his, urging her to look at him. After a brief pause, she did. "Is the thought of joining the darkside so horrible that you would rather die than give in to the awesome power that awaits you?"

"I have never wanted power. It has never been something that has motivated me. I was given a gift, being sensitive to the Force, but I haven't let that compel me to seek more power I didn't need. So yes, I would rather die than join your cause." He looked down at her as if she had two heads. It made Rey smile at him, almost saddened by his suddenly lost expression.

"Was there never a time at all you were just happy to be yourself? Where you weren't out hurting people for your quest for power?"

"I don't remember." He wrapped a finger around a strand of her hair, almost as if he weren't aware of his actions. Lost in thought. "Perhaps once, long ago."

"And you don't miss it, being happy?"

"I don't truly remember what that emotion feels like." he admitted to Rey. She moved her head slightly in disbelief. No wonder Ben Solo had lost his way.

"How sad it must be for you." His eyes narrowed and he moved his head away from her.

"I don't need your pity," Kylo Ren spat out, moving to stand away from Rey. It was just as well. She could feel death coming for her, creeping along side her like an old friend she hadn't seen in years. Calling to her, whispering.

The sun began to darkened as a storm cloud covered it. Rey shivered at the chill that filled the air. Kylo looked around suspiciously before reached down and lifting her into his arms. "We aren't done yet, scavenger." She smiled.

"I don't think even you are powerful enough to stop death."

His hands tightened on her body as he began walking away with her cradled in his arms. Lips set in a thin line, brow furrowed. "We'll see."

~*~

His scavenger was laying on the cold floor at an awkward angle, as if she had just collapsed. It was probably accurate, given how poorly she had cared for herself in the past several days.

If only she had given in, she might have avoided near death. However, Rey was foolish. She had ignored him for days, seeking meditation instead of sleep just to avoid him.

It had made him furious, knowing he was the reason she avoided sleep. That she assumed she could best him at his own game. Instead, the little fool had nearly died, just to spite him.

Lifting her in his arms, Kylo exited the cell, ignoring whomever he passed on his way to the med bay. He could have had some of the troops take her from him, do a job that was beneath him and take care of the wench. But the thought of anyone else providing for her made him angry and irrationally jealous. For obviously he had been too petty to see to her needs and now he was rushing her to a medical unit to keep her from dying.

Perhaps he was the foolish one, just like the despicable Ben Solo had been.

His boots thudded harshly on the floor and those who saw him moved out of his path easily enough. If someone thought his behavior, his 'caring' odd, they didn't speak of it to him. Which was well enough, for he didn't wish to set Rey down just to kill someone, especially so close to his destination.

Once they reached the med bay, he placed Rey into the care of some droids who hooked machines to her, feeding her and hydrating her through a series of tubes.

"Sir, we plan to prolong the healing of her body and mind by placing her into a stasis. Would that be acceptable?"

Rey, completely at his mercy for a few days? It sounded perfect.

Kylo Ren smiled delightfully under his mask, nodding once to the droids before heading back into his room.

He had some sleep to catch up on.


	4. Chapter 4

"Are you planning to just lay around?"

Rey's eyes snapped open in surprise. She was surrounded by white. Everything around her was white, which was adding as there was nothing in this room. Just walls. Gazing down at her was Kylo Ren, her nemesis. Feeling much better than she had expected, but still very tired, Rey cast a glare up at him, curling her upper lip in agitation at his presence. In returned he smirked.

What was Kylo Ren doing, stalking her in the afterlife? Shouldn't she have become one with the Force by now?

Oh no. She had done something terrible before she died mostly likely and now she was going to forever be punished by listening to Kylo Ren whine and complain for the rest of his days. With her luck, he would live to be as old as Jedi Master Yoda.

The thought made Rey want to groan in frustration, instead she just answered his question with as much venom as possible.

"I am trying to become one with the Force. You know, what happens to Jedi when they die? Or perhaps you weren't aware of such things happening, Kylo Ren."

"Don't be so foolish. You aren't dead, merely in a medically necessary stasis to bring you back to your proper health." So she was still held captive. Fantastic.

"Maybe my health wouldn't have been in jeopardy had you fed me."

"You could have asked for sustenance."

"Well, as your guest, maybe you should have considered my needs before I nearly starved to death in your guest suite."

"You knew to come to me for all of your needs, yet your refused. I do not bow down to anyone, nor do I feel consideration for others needs."

Rey rolled her eyes, sitting up slowly. Her head spun and she nearly fell back before Kylo Ren placed a hand on her back, keeping her in an upright position.

"I do believe once you gain your bearings you will be fine. The stasis is only temporary."

"Do you know how long I'll be like that?" Unconscious... Defenseless.

"Perhaps a week, maybe longer." Wow. She would spend all of that time trapped in her own mind, merely waiting until she could return to her conscious state. She would be all alone. The thought didn't sit well with Rey.

"Oh." Kylo Ren knelt next to her, his gaze questioning. Rey felt him in her mind but she brushed him away, avoiding the contact. It seemed too intimate to attempt. Rey thought for sure he would have just let her die, after all, was she really significant to someone like Kylo Ren? Yet he had saved her in the end. That wasn't the mark of someone completely evil. Perhaps there was hope.

"You're afraid. I can feel it."

For a minute Rey remained silent. Opening up to Kylo Ren was foolish and moronic. He was her enemy, but he knew loneliness. Rey remembered feeling it coming off him in waves and how even though he might deny that he enjoyed being inside her head, he really did relish it. Craved it. He had been so starved for any sort of intimacy, connection or belonging that he was unknowingly seeking it out from his enemy.

And right then he was all Rey had.

"Oftentimes I find myself afraid of being alone. It's actually quite silly. Growing up alone on Jakku, you might think I wouldn't be bothered to be alone in my own head, considering I've kept myself company for years. But it's quite the opposite. Its terrifying to realize how easily I can go back to being alone and that I don't want that kind of life for myself anymore. Even for a week." Even if my only companion would be you, The words floated between them.

"Your thoughts make you weak." Kylo stood, waving his hand and creating a landscape that was heavily wooded. It looked like the forest moon of Endor, if Rey wasn't mistaken.

"Maybe, but I know you've had similar thoughts." Kylo opened his mouth, no doubt to yell at her. "Don't deny it." She held up a hand to cut off his words. "You forget, I've felt it. This connection does work both ways."

"What do you suggest?" He bit out through clenched teeth.

Rey sucked in a deep breath, letting it out slowly as she contemplated if she was really going to do this. Shaking off her resolve, Rey spoke. "Will you please not leave me alone?"

~*~

He stared at her.

Spend time with the scavenger? If he hadn't been attracted to her, if he hadn't wanted her to join him, Kylo Ren would have laughed in her face before disappearing as if he had never visited in her head. Instead, he contemplated her offer. Perhaps if he were to manipulate her during this time she would be easily receptive to his advances, physical and otherwise. She would be his, of that he had no doubt.

But how weak she was, to admit her fears to him. Perhaps she felt comfortable enough with him to share such emotions. And to imply he, Master of the Knights of Ren felt loneliness was laughable. He was never alone; his power was all he ever needed.

When the minutes ticked by and he continued to glare in her direction, he felt her growing impatience. Her embarrassment. Good. She should have felt pathetic for seeking solace, seeking comfort from someone like him. Didn't she know how incapable he was of caring? Of understanding? Such sentiment was beyond him and he could not have cared less.

However, knowing something other than himself scared her left him slightly unsettled. Almost cold and hot all at once, as if his body was having difficulty regulating itself. Perhaps giving in to her wishes this once would be acceptable. He did plan on corrupting her mind and her body to wholly seek his devotion and approval and that required constant supervision.

So it was for that reason alone, he assured himself, that he nodded his head slightly in approval at her question.

~*~

The first day passed uneventfully. They both stayed in their own corners, almost as if they were feeling one another out, testing the waters. Rey was more nervous than she thought she would have been, mostly because for the past few hours she kept reliving the punishing kiss Kylo Ren had given her over a week ago. Whenever she tried to block it out, it only grew in intensity. Her face would grow hot in embarrassment and her body would tingle. Sometimes she swore she could feel his lips pressed against hers and she would gasp.

The noise had alerted Kylo Ren the first time and he'd lifted a brow at her in question, blatantly curious at her thoughts.

Rey cleared her throat and smiled awkwardly at him before laying back in the grass and shutting her eyes, effectively blocking out anything to do with Kylo Ren.

~*~

"Do you know any stories?" Rey asked Kylo on their second day together, sitting a few feet from him. She wondered about the room in which he'd brought to life for her. It seemed to be a bedroom, all dark colors and depressing. There was a bed just behind her with black fitted sheets and two large pillows on top. The room was pretty much stripped of anything personal, as if the person living in there wasn't truly living. She had a feeling Kylo Ren was showing her his bedroom.

"Stories are for children." Kylo grumbled at her from the book he was reading. She raised a brow.

"So what you're reading is not a story?" He sighed and slammed the book closed, tossing it onto the table in front of him.

"Why don't you ask what you truly wish to know?" He stared her down, eyes daring her to back down.

Rey rolled her eyes, trying to find anything else in the room to look at besides him. She didn't like the way his hair was framing his face, nor the way his lips seemed darker and fuller than she remembered them. Which was ridiculous, because she shouldn't have been remembering his lips at all. Or the small bite of his teeth along her bottom lip as he kissed her.

But she was curious...

"Why did you kiss me?" There. It was out there. Perhaps he would actually tell her.

Kylo Ren smirked. "Because I felt like it." Rey groaned dropping her hands to her knees and looking at him from her position on the floor. "What? Did you think I would spout poetry, maybe a sonnet about how your lips beckoned me?" Rey wrinkled her nose at that. Did women enjoy that?

"I just wanted to know. It seemed too passionate to be rehearsed."

Kylo Ren ignored her, pushing back his chair to sit behind her on his bed, black robe billowing around him and brushing against her arm.

"Did you want to hear a story?"

"Oh, yes please." She began to turn and face him, but he put his hands on her shoulders, stilling the movement. His legs came on each side of her arms, bringing her as close to his body as they could get in such a position. She gulped nearly audibly when his hands began to move smoothly over her her tank top to dip under the cloth to brush against her bare shoulders and collarbone.

Her cheeks were flushed and her breathing picked up as his hands pressed into the tissue, working a small moan from her before she could conceal it.

Kylo cleared his throat, shifting on the bed slightly. "There was once a girl who was special. She had gifts and strengths that most individuals could never have, let alone think up in their pathetic little minds. She was unique. She was so special that she was sent to go to an academy for those like her, only she was better than all of them. She was so young but she cared deeply for those she felt affection for. There was another student at the school, a boy a few years older than her whom she had befriended. She knew his inner struggles and his turmoil, yet she loved him anyway. She didn't pressure him to be someone else, didn't shy away from who he was becoming. She took care of him the one way she knew how; by loving him. As the days grew longer, the girl began to notice a change in the boy before he finally disappeared without a trace, leaving her behind without even a good bye. The boy left to pursue something greater than himself and he dedicated himself to another, far more powerful teacher than he could have possibly imagined. This new teacher saw his potential and relished in it, wanting nothing more than to watch that power grow and consume him whole, destroying the other person he had once been."

"The boy became a man and was determined to prove himself loyal to his new teacher," Kylo's fingers dug deeper into her shoulders, his palms pressing against her back. Rey shivered at his words, shutting her eyes and leaning her head back on his thigh. It arched her back slightly and Kylo took advantage of the movement, sliding one hand forward, over her collarbone and cupping her breast.

Rey startled at the sensation, moving to sit up and away from him, only his hand still on her shoulder kept her firmly in place as he kneaded the flesh of her breast, his fingers finding her nipple and rolling it into a peak before squeezing a bit roughly. Rey fell back into him, completely taken aback by how arousing the feeling was. How good and wrong it felt.

"The man was given a task, to wipe out those who would oppose his teacher's leadership. Eager to prove himself worthy, the man took several allies with him and stormed into the school, determined to destroy all those who would oppose their regime." His hand moved to her other breast, pinching her nipple and then cupping her breast with his warm hand, running his thumb along the peak. Rey pushed her head back further into his thigh, allowing him better access to her, unsure of why she was being so complacent. Kylo slipped his other hand forward, using that to hold her other breast. He bent down and put a kiss along the column of her neck, suckling the skin into his mouth and nipping. Rey moaned loudly, ashamed but so aroused she couldn't help the sounds she was making.

He kissed gently on her neck before pressing his lips to her ear, his hands coming to wrap around her waist, dragging her up and into his lap. "And so they did, destroying any being that crossed their path. They were nearly finished accomplishing the teacher's orders when the man came across a girl. She had been hiding in one of the abandoned rooms and he found her before his men did. A distant part of himself recalled who she had once been to him. She looked at him and saw him through the mask, as if she had recognized him instantly. And then the girl clung to his leg, frightened and relying on him to protect her from the terror that awaited, unknowing that the very leg she clung to was responsible for her fears, for the death that surrounded her. So the man broke his vow to his teacher and spared her life. He took her away from the life she knew and hid her from his teacher, wanting to keep her safe."

Rey's breath caught at his words, his arms sliding around her waist and holding her to him as he spoke. Rey wanted to struggle, to break away. His words were like shards of glass cutting along her skin, exposing her questions and doubts like an open wound. She knew what he was telling her. He spared her life that night and he put her on Jakku.

She turned and placed the side of her head against his chest, holding his arms to her for comfort. "Why would you spare me?"

"Because you and I are connected. Once I knew you were still on Jakku, that it was you who had come back to me, I knew we would be reunited. I am captivated by you. You have bewitched me and you are mine." His words slid along her skin like a dark promise. A dangerous seduction.

"What kind of life could we lead? What you're suggesting is impossible." Rey tried to push away from him, but he turned their bodies, pressing her back into the mattress as he lay next to her, his legs pinning hers to the bed.

"You could come to the dark side. Join with me, be with me wholly."

"You know I can't. It's not who I am." He tensed above her slightly before relaxing his muscles and leaning into her.

"We will see," Kylo Ren murmured before covering her lips with his, biting on her lower lip and pulling down, urging her to open for him. Rey hesitated only a moment before complying with his demands. She decided to give in to her desires, if only that once.

His tongue slipped inside, mingling with hers. Then they were pulling at each others clothing, desperate to touch, skin to skin. In another moment Rey was shoving him down onto the bed, straddling him at the waist. She bent down to kiss him, moaning as he slipped inside her, filling her. As their bodies entwined, moving back and forth, Rey felt complete. She was whole.

Sometime much, much later, Rey lay on her side, tucked into Kylo's body as he held her to him. She blushed, thinking of everything they had done and repeated various times. She didn't know it could feel like that... It was explosive and raw. Rough. Yet when Kylo had been on top, pumping his hips rhythmically as their bodies joined, he had kissed her softly, his fingers entwined with hers as he thrust gently into her. Almost as if he were making love to her.

With that thought, Rey held his hand in hers, letting her mind rest after engaging in such activity.

~o~

Kylo looked down at the small hand encased in his.

It was such a delicate thing. Fragile and breakable.

He looked to his right, eyes gazing down at the face of his scavenger. She had been perfect, her body was made for his. His body roused, thinking about how aggressive she had been, how dominate in her affections.

Generally the women he bedded were nervous and awkward. This with Rey had been spectacular. His mind felt more rested than he could have possibly imagined and Kylo knew without a doubt, as soon as she was awaken from the stasis, they would be repeating every detail from tonight, just so he could see if it was better in the physical world. Somehow he doubted it.

Looking down at her vulnerable form, Kylo was filled with something like awe and something else, something more sinister. She was his, had given herself to him in almost every way. He knew he would murder anyone who sought to threaten her.

He eased away from Rey's mind after awhile, knowing he had work to do on the ship.

He got up and dressed, thoughts of Rey filling his entire being.

~*~

Another day passed, most of it filled with lust and passion. Rey had never felt so alive, so complete. Had someone told her she could feel such a thing at the hands of Kylo Ren, she would have laughed in their face.

Honestly, Rey was so conflicted with her feelings. He was dangerous, he was mostly evil, yet she was drawn to him. When she awoke without him near, she had wanted to weep with the loss. All she could think about was him, being with him again. Being with him forever. But Rey knew that was impossible, as long as they both lived on different sides of the Force.

She knew Master Luke would say to think logically, to discard her fierce emotions and think with reason. But Rey's heart was too involved, too tied to the man laying next to her. Perhaps he was using her body and her emotions to sway her to his side; a true seduction. But the way he held her and looked at her had Rey believing something else might be taking place.

Earlier, she had accidentally brushed her mind against his and she felt what she could only describe as love. He loved her, even if he didn't know it. It would explain why he had been incapable of killing her when he had captured her originally all those months ago. It explained why he hadn't let her die this time, even if they had both been too stubborn to admit defeat.

Rey knew she would never succumb to the dark. Not because it was wrong and the light was right, but because it just wasn't in her nature. In her character. Feeling the dark near her and succumbing to it were two different things. In this she was certain.

"I need to go," Kylo sat up in bed, leaning over the side to grab his clothing. That was funny to Rey, as all he had to do to leave was leave her mind. It took maybe a second and he could leave the dreamscape, yet he was stalling.

"When should you be back?"

He looked over and smirked before leaning toward her, kissing her roughly and biting her lip before pressing his lips deeply to hers. After a moment he broke the kiss and grinned. "Miss this already?"

"Yes," Rey said matter of factly. She didn't see the use in denying her feelings.

He laughed before standing up, letting her get a great view of him without clothing. she still maintained the belief he was breathtaking, even if he did have a series of unpleasant looking scars that stitched across his back. Some looked years and years old, some were more recent.

"I should only be away for a few hours. I do need to oversee preparations."

"Preparations for what?" Kylo just stared at her and she knew full well he wouldn't divulge any information to her. As much as he cared, there was still a lack of trust. Rey rolled her eyes. "Fine, don't tell me. But you should know that you're the only one I've spoken with since I got here. It's not like I'll be spreading all of your trade secrets to my closest friends while you're gone."

Kylo huffed out a breath before disappearing before her eyes, leaving her alone.

A few hours passed and then a few more.

Kylo Ren didn't return that evening.

~*~

"When was the last time you just sat around and did nothing? Maybe read a book, took a nap. Do you ever do those things? Or do you just scowl behind your helmet and wreak havoc on people?" Well, when he wasn't pleasuring her body with his. Rey's cheeks heated at the thought, suddenly glad Kylo had been off in his own world for the past hour.

Rey sat on a rock overlooking a lake, her bare feet dangling in the cool water. She moved her feet back and forth, watching in fascination as the water rippled around her in small waves. She didn't have lakes on Jakku and although she had been free of that place for nearly a year, she still found herself taken aback by small things that still made her smile.

Her hair was out of its usual buns, hanging in small waves all the way down her back. Her hair was always such a hassle to work with, hence the simple bun style, but considering she was still hanging around in the dreamscape with Kylo, she had envisioned her hair flowing freely down her back and it was so.

She looked at her companion, her lover. He was sitting on a nearby rock, perhaps only a few feet away, but the scowl on his face made her feel like he was very lost in thought.

Last night when he had finally returned to her, he seemed closed off. Upset even. It was an unusual experience. They had become so in tune with one another it was easy to know he was conflicted by something, definitely upset. However, Rey was incapable of establishing what exactly it was without him opening up and discussing it with her. She could have pried into his mind, but that would have been rude and Rey wanted him to trust her enough to tell her himself what it was that troubled him.

He hadn't made an attempt to be intimate with her since he had come back and a part of Rey had worried he might have become hostile towards her, maybe have shown her his dark side. Instead he had been pensive but kind, seeking her comfort even if he hadn't been paying much attention.

For example, he had created the image in her mind of the lake, a setting sun and a cool breeze that ruffled the trees surrounding her and her hair, ever so slightly.

All things considered, Rey had been treated better by Kylo than she had anticipated. Maybe Rey should have been expecting something deceptive from him, but she refused to do so. Reason had left her and all she had left was her faith in Kylo and his feelings for her.

Perhaps Kylo was planning something else more sinister as he sat there in silence, using this time she was healing to take advantage of her vulnerability. But Rey didn't think that was the case at all. Maybe it had been his original intent, but he had been too real with her since her near death, he had been too vulnerable.

"Are you listening?" Rey tsked a few times in his direction before he looked up at her, his black hair being pushed slightly into his eyes from the wind. With a flick of his wrist the wind died down, disappearing as if it had never been.

"What?"

"Is everything alright?"

Rey took her feet from the water, placing them delicately on the grass surrounding her seat. She let the skirt of her dress go from her hand, watching as the deep red color landed in a pool at her feet. The dress had just appeared on her when Kylo had taken her to this new location. It hung off her shoulders with long sleeves, a cinched waist and a flowing skirt. She felt ridiculous in it, but it was pretty. She was a bit nervous, wondering why Kylo would picture her in something so... feminine, but she hadn't questioned him, not wanting to upset the delicate balance of her mind.

Kylo Ren looked away from her for a few minutes. Rey didn't think he planned on answering her question, which was kind of rude considering he was the in her mind, but she just sat and waited for an answer. After all, until she awoke from the stasis, she really had nothing else to do.

It would probably only be a few days more at the latest that she was given the all clear by the medic unit and then awakened. She felt strong, exceptionally strong and her hold of the Force felt as solid as ever.

Rey stood from her spot, dusting off the skirt of her gown before walking casually over to her companion. Well, she tried to make the movements casual, but even in her dream the dress was heavier than the clothing she was used to. She came over to him, sitting down right next to him, so close her thigh brushed his.

"Are you planning on answering me, or do I need to work some Force voodoo on you. I am a Force to be reckoned with." She waggled her eyebrows at him when he looked at her. For an instant she saw his eyes lighten at her terrible joke before the scowl came back down. Rey sighed. She gripped his cheek in her hand and forced him to look at her. "What's wrong?"

Kylo Ren reached up and grabbed her hand on his face. At first she thought he would yank it down, tell her to keep her scavenger hands to herself. Instead, he held her hand to him, cradled in his own as he breathed in deeply.

"I feel conflicted." He looked at her and for the first time, Rey could swear she saw regret in his eyes. It was gone in an instant, but Rey knew what she saw. She could even feel a small bite of hope forming in her chest at the knowledge he felt something other than rage and anger. She even felt more confident that his feelings for her were genuine. Maybe Ben Solo wasn't so lost after all.

"Why? What's happened?"

"The Supreme Leader wishes to meet you. He has requested your stasis be terminated early and that you be brought before him for sentencing." Sentencing? Hadn't she already been given the ultimatum? Join or die, blah blah.

"Why does that make you feel conflicted?" Kylo Ren looked away from her, letting his hand drop to his side. "Please tell me." She urged him, brushing her mind against his in a caress. She wanted to hear him say he cared for her, that he would protect her from danger, even though she should have been capable of protecting herself.

Kylo Ren stood up abruptly, her hand dropping away from him as he paced back and forth.

"He thinks I'm too weak to sway you to our side. He believes if he wakes you up now, you'll be weak enough for him to bend you to his will." Kylo spoke harshly, his face turning into a mask of anger the more he spoke. "His methods are far more unsavory than mine. There will be pain. He will hurt you or he will make me do it." He stopped to stand in front of her, his chest heaving heavily as his nostrils flared. "He knows we are drawn together, connected by the Force and he wants to ensure my loyalties are with him and The First Order. I think he knows we have become lovers and he wants to destroy whatever this is between us."

"Didn't you know it would come to this?" She asked, more curious than frightened. If only slightly more.

"I had hoped you would be more agreeable, but Supreme Leader is tired of waiting."

"I see."

"No, Rey, you don't see. The conflict I feel is that he will harm you and that thought makes me so angry." As he spoke, the dream world turned from a sunset into a midnight sky. The breeze turned into a chill and the water was on fire, billowing around him. "He shouldn't hurt you. He knows you are mine but he doesn't care. He doesn't care and I want to kill him. To end him for what he plans to do to you." The wind whipped around them angrily, their clothing blending together in the wind. Goosebumps covered her arms, but Rey refused to be afraid of him any longer.

"Kylo, you need to calm down."

"I do not want to calm down! I want to run my blade through him and watch the light leave his eyes! But he is my master and you shouldn't mean anything to me but you do." She stood before him, placing her hands on his chest to steady herself as he was so close. His eyes were mad with rage and wild. Rey reached up and kissed him, the only thing she could think of that might calm him slightly.

His gloved hands wrapped around her body, pulling her as close to him as possible. Her lips brushed his once then twice, waiting for him to inevitably take the lead. Kylo put more force behind the kiss, but only ever so slightly. He broke the kiss, placing gentle kiss to her forehead before holding her to him, his hand sifting through her hair.

"Kylo... What are we going to do?"


	5. Chapter 5

Kylo Ren knew the Supreme Leader wanted Rey for his own nefarious purposes. Kylo too thought of Rey being with them, belonging with them. But knowing Rey would be miserable, that she would hate her life under the influence of the dark side, conflicted him. Hadn't he been so set on turning her with him? On seducing her to the dark side?

And yet... He felt as if she had seduced him with her light. She was captivating and breathtaking in every way he could have imagined. And what was even better, she accepted him as he was. Flawed. Powerful. A killer.

Rey had been the first person to truly spend time with him since he left his parents all those years ago. He had been so troubled and pathetic. Now he was cruel and devious. It hadn't mattered to her as a child how he behaved outwardly and it didn't matter to her as a woman now. She might not understand him but they called to one another.

The feeling of wanting, no needing, to protect someone other than himself was both smothering and freeing. Kylo Ren hadn't ever felt such a deep bond with anyone before. He had never met someone he would destroy galaxies for, yet now she stood before him, terrified of his master.

And she had right to be. Supreme Leader was as cruel as he was wise. Especially if he had sensed the weakness growing in Kylo Ren's heart and body for a scavenger girl. Supreme Leader could not afford such a weakness in his best pupil, he wouldn't allow it.

Kylo Ren only had a few options available to him, none of which would be pleasant. Either Rey would suffer or he would. Neither option sat well with him.

Kylo Ren sat in front of Rey's sleeping form, face covered with his mask as he watched her breathing. She seemed so peaceful and now that she was well rested and healthy, she had never been more beautiful to him. Looking at her now so peaceful and full of light, he knew why it had been so easy to love her. She was everything he was not. She let him bask in the goodness of her soul with no repercussions. She made him happy and asked nothing in return.

Kylo Ren couldn't remember the last time someone had acted so selflessly for him.

~0~

"Will you help me?" Kylo Ren asked his father, eyes pleading for understanding. His decision was so hard, so extreme. He was so torn. Looking at the face of Han Solo, the face of his father, Ben Solo reared his head, battling back the dark side. He wanted to go home.

"Anything," Han replied back to him, a look of disbelief crossing his features as his son held out his lightsaber, ushering for Han to take it. A moment passed between them. It was so full of hope, so wonderful. Light cascaded down on Ben Solo from the outside, casting him in its warm embrace. He felt like he was home. He was nearly healed.

Just as quickly the light began to fade, draining from the room as well as his soul. Ben Solo drifted away as Kylo Ren came back full force, igniting his lightsaber and running Han Solo through with the pulsing blade.

Han Solo's final act was to brush his hand tenderly across his son's face before he fell into the abyss of the battle station.

~0~

Kylo Ren sucked in a deep breath, almost choking on air as he recalled that evening with more detail than he remembered there being. He tried not to think about it, how he had slain his own flesh and blood to obtain more power. Looking at the prone form in front of him, he felt ashamed of himself. How weak he was to need to murder than man who helped create him just so he could gain more unholy gifts. How could Rey see anything good in him? Or did she only see the beast?

He was a monster. He knew that and so did she.

Kylo knew what he had to do in regards to Rey and Supreme Leader, though he would hate himself for it. Loathe himself more than he thought possible. But it had to be done and soon. The Supreme Leader would wait no longer.  
~*~

Rey felt groggy. Her body felt heavy, which was probably the side effect of being in her head for the past several days. She didn't open her eyes right away, merely focusing on her surroundings with the Force, bringing everything into sharp focus.

Rey turned her head and opened her eyes at Kylo, who sat so close to her she could almost touch him without moving.

He wore his mask, elbows on his knees, hands cupped together. She didn't need to see him without his mask to know he was looking right at her. She smiled serenely at him, knowing he was upset. It seemed lately he was always upset. Rey hoped such turmoil wouldn't linger in his mind and heart forever. Such a thing could kill someone if it lurked in the darkness long enough. Snuff out whatever light remained, however little there was.

Rey sat up as Kylo reached for the button on his helmet. The mask released a small chunk of air, hissing as it came loose around him. Kylo took it off and dropped it down on the chair next to him.

"Is it odd that I find your hair so much more lovely than mine?" She asked him, uncaring of the eye roll he gave her.

"My hair is not lovely."

"Yes it is. It's shiny and thick and even you should have a severe case of helmet head, but your hair looks full and luxurious. I can't ever do anything decent with mine."

"Do you really want to talk about my hair?" He shot her a wary look, almost as if he were afraid she would start asking him intense questions about Snoke and when she would be taken to him. What might happen and all of that. If Rey's torture was imminent, she would prefer not waste another second thinking about it.

"No, but I don't think you want to talk about Snoke either." He grunted at that before sitting next to her on the bed, the cushion dipping under his weight until she swayed slightly in his direction. She cupped his cheek in her hand, rubbing her thumb across his full lip. He reached out and nipped the pad of her thumb causing Rey to shiver at the touch.

All he had to do was give her a little touch and she wanted him. She nearly turned into a puddle of desire at his feet. Had she ever been so silly with another man? Not at all. And yet here she was, a fool in love with her enemy. Could she have been more cliche?

Looking at Kylo, Rey decided she didn't care if it was cliche or not. If this was the last time she was ever going to be alone with Kylo, she wanted to remember it forever. She didn't want the memory of making love with him inside of her head. She wanted the real thing.

With little thought left, Rey leaned forward and captured her lips with his, her tongue darting out and into his mouth as she moved forward and sat in his lap, legs wrapping around his waist as her arms encircled his neck, getting as close to him as their clothing would allow.

His hands reached up, cupping her backside and squeezing, thrusting upward with his hips as he pushed her down on him. Rey broke the kiss and moaned as his erection pressed at her center.

Then they were a tangle of limbs as they rushed to remove each others clothing, ripping fabric and throwing garments out of the way in their haste to be of one flesh.

Kylo pushed Rey back into the mat, his body covering hers. He grabbed her thigh, lifting her leg over his hip and positioning himself right at her entrance. Then he was pushing ever so slowly into her, stretching her body almost to the point of pain before she adjusted her hips, opening herself ever so slightly to fit him all the way inside of her.

Rey cried out as he filled her to the hilt, his movements slowing to a stop as her back arched.

"Are you alright?" He panted at her, struggling to keep still as he watched her. Rey nodded her head. She reached up and wrapped her hands on his back, thrusting her hips at him, pushing him impossibly further into her tight body. Kylo groaned his head dipping down so he could nip her neck, suckling the flesh as he began to thrust inside of her. Fast and hard and then slow and gentle.

Rey's nails dug into his back as his pace increased, hands gripping her ass and thrusting into her, over and over again.

Her orgasm came out of nowhere, completely blindsiding her and she locked around his erection, milking his own orgasm out of him. His seed spilled inside of her and Rey cried out at the sensation.

They lay together, a sheet covering their bodies as Kylo held Rey to him, her head resting on his chest.

"That was wonderful." Rey smiled up at him, their gazes colliding. She just wanted to enjoy another moment with him before he turned back into the Master of the Knights of Ren and she turned back into a Padawan. Before she could lose her courage, Rey spoke. "I just... I want you to know that I love you, as crazy or impossible as that seems." She felt his body tighten at her words. She sat up in bed, staring down at his prone from. "I'm serious. You don't have to say anything back. I know what I feel for you is wrong as we are enemies. But I do. I lo-"

Kylo sat up quickly and kissed her deeply, letting his kiss tell her everything that he didn't dare say out loud. And Rey felt it. All the emotion and heart behind his lips as they pressed against hers.

When they finally broke away, he rested his forehead against hers.

~*~  
Kylo Ren stood from the bed, turning from Rey to get dressed. There was a tear along a seam of his robe, but as everything he wore was black, he didn't think it would be noticeable.

She loved him. She loved him. Him. Kylo Ren. Not Ben Solo, but him. A monster.

Looking away from her, he clenched his eyes shut, listening to the fabric brush along her skin as she dressed quickly behind him. His hands wouldn't ever caress her delicate flesh again. He wouldn't hear her laugh at him or tease him about something silly. He was about to extinguish the light from his life for good. The thought made him angry.

He used it, that anger that flowed through him like molten lava. It strengthened his resolve, his dedication to do what was necessary. And he would. Kylo Ren would not fail.

He turned back to his little scavenger, his now gloved hand brushing her cheek once more before he reached over and gathered his mask, placing it on his head with *snick* as it moved into place.

"We can wait no longer." Her body tensed and the light behind her eyes dulled as she looked at his mask face. Then Rey nodded, accepting her fate. She could have fought him. Used the Force against him to secure her own freedom. But love had made her weak, made her unwilling to harm him.

Love was always a weakness.  
~*~

Rey followed just slightly behind Kylo Ren, trying to avert her gaze from his body as they moved steadily from corridor to corridor. They passed a few Stormtroopers that quickly changed direction once they saw him approach.

She would have laughed at that had she not been feeling the steady rage and resentment building within him at every step that was taken.

How could she have blabbed to him that she loved him? He hadn't even said it back to her, which stung her pride a bit. Sure, he kissed her like he loved her, but that wasn't exactly saying the words now was it?

Better yet, was she truly worried about this when the man she was in love with was leading her off somewhere where she would inevitably die? Rey sighed loudly at herself. How truly irritating she was. Perhaps she had hit her head as a child, thus making her incapable of thinking as a normal person would. Instead, she was being led to her death by someone she loved and all she could think about was how he didn't say it back.

They exited through another corridor, coming into the docking station. Rey almost slowed her steps, her brow wrinkling in confusion. Were they going to fly to the nearest planet to meet with Snoke? Was the torture/death not happening on the battleship?

Rey hesitated even more when she felt his pull of the Force, his will pulsating out like a strong wind. Every Stormtrooper they came across as the Force reached out turned and walked in the other direction, leaving the docking station as if death itself was on their heels.

Kylo kept walking as if he hadn't a care in the world, moving over to a Tie Fighter and unhooking it from the station with a flick of his wrist. He went up the stairs leading to the aircraft, pushing a lever that allowed the door to slide up. Rey peaked her head inside. What the..?

"Get in the Tie Fighter." Rey swallowed hard and nodded, moving just past him before turning around. She looked at him, confusion evident on her face. "You need to go. I can hold them off until you're a safe distance away. Disable the tracking and find your friends."

"I don't understand. Kylo, what's happening?"

Kylo removed his mask, letting it drop on the stairwell as he gripped her arms. "You must go. Now. Every second we waste is another chance you'll be spotted too soon." She grabbed his robe, pulling him closer.

"Come with me! We can leave here and go anywhere. I don't have to go back to the Resistance if you won't want to be there. We can go anywhere we want, be whoever we want to be as long as we're together. Please come with me." She begged him, her eyes tearing up as she already knew what his answer would be.

"I can't, Rey. Don't you see? If I go with you we will be hunted down before we even reach any kind of planet. The Supreme Leader might not send the First Order after you if I stay here. It's safer if you leave alone."

"But I don't want to leave you. He'll kill you." She felt the tears falling down on her cheeks, turning her face from him as he wiped them away with his thumb.

"Then I will die knowing the love of an angel." Rey cried, hugging him to her as tightly as she could.

"Enough, Rey. You need to leave now." He pushed gently away from her, giving her one last swift kiss before ducking out of the Tie Fighter. He pushed the button to close the door as she called out to him.

"I love you."

He smiled at her. "I know." The door shut on him and he lifted his helmet, placing it back on his head and descending the steps. And with that, Rey sat in the pilot's seat. She strapped in, pressing the necessary buttons to engage the aircraft and pull it out of the docking station. She didn't turn back to see Kylo, afraid of what her eyes might come across. Instead, she brushed her mind one last time against his before shooting the Tie Fighter into light speed.

Sometime later, Rey entered the atmosphere of the planet the rebels were hiding out on. She had defused the tracking beacon and sat numbly in her seat.

She used the radio to let the Resistance know it was her and not The First Order coming in, not wanting to get shot down after everything Kylo had done to ensure she escaped. She choked on a sob before quickly composing herself, trying to keep her mind as blank as possible.

When she landed just outside of the hangar, Rey smiled happily as Poe, Finn and BB-8 came rushing over. She jumped from the Tie Fighter, embracing Finn hard. All of the emotions she had been trying to keep in check nearly came crashing out of her like a tidal wave, but she managed to hold it all inside.

"Rey! How did you get back? We never thought we would see you again!" Poe exclaimed. He smiled happily at her, clapping her on the back when she dropped her arms from Finn.

"Is Master Luke here?" Rey looked around the bodies that were filling up around her. She caught sight of General Organa and her throat closed painfully. She blinked back tears as she approached the woman, ignoring Finn and Poe's questions. "Can you help me find Master Luke?" She whispered out, afraid if she talked any louder she would break.

General Organa studied her for a moment before her brow dropped in sorrow and she ushered the young Padawan into the hangar, through a series of doors and into living quarters.

"Luke has been beside himself since you were captured. We're glad you made it back to us." Knocking swiftly on a door, Leia pushed it open and called out for her brother.

An instant later Luke was in front of Rey, smiling happily and embracing her just like the others had. He pulled away just as quickly, no doubt sensing her turmoil.

"Rey, what troubles you?"

Rey cast one look at the General before whispering out, "It's Kylo Ren... He. I think.. I mean, I-"

"Rey, did he hurt you in any way?" General Organa asked, jumping to the wrong conclusion. Rey's eyes teared up again, but she pushed back her turmoil and shook her head no.

"No. He saved my life. He helped me escape, but I fear in doing so he lost his life."

"He helped you escape?" The twins both exclaimed before General Organa collapsed into a chair, looking like a fragile mother.

"Are you sure he's gone?" Leia asked Rey, her eyes full of sadness and longing.

"I haven't felt it yet, but Snoke wanted to torture me to join the dark side, to join him. He asked Kylo Ren to bring me to him and instead he helped me into a Tie Fighter and distracted his allies so I could get away without being shot down."

"Why would he do that?" Master Luke asked although he stared at her knowingly.

"Because he loves me," Rey whispered, biting her lip to keep it from quivering. Leia gasped at her words, clearly disbelieving them.

"Master Luke, is there any place I could go to sleep for the evening? It's been a very long day and I'm very tired." Physically. Emotionally.

"Of course. Rey, please use my quarters as your own. You've been through quite an ordeal and I can tell escaping has taken its toll. I'll be staying with Leia tonight, so please rest. If you need me, simply reach out with the Force and I will be here in an instant."

Rey nodded her head in answer, holding her breath as they left.

When she was finally alone, her legs gave out from under her.

Laying in a heap on the floor, Rey cried.  
~*~

Pain. All there was in the world was pain. Rage. Despair. And anger. SO MUCH ANGER.


	6. Chapter 6

Rey sorted through a bunch of junk, looking for spare parts to help fix C3PO's leg. He had been chasing after R2 when BB-8 had come out of nowhere, rolling right into his legs. She had listened to C3PO whine and complain about his leg not functioning properly for days. It had gotten so extreme, Rey had volunteered to fix the appendage as R2D2 refused once C3PO began the name calling. It turned out R2 had taken a liking to BB-8 and 3PO was not pleased about that in the slightest. She actually found it funny when 3PO huffed and squawked at the other two droids, chasing after them at his too slow pace, arms flailing madly as they just beeped mockingly and rolled away.

Rey sighed as she found the part she was looking for, carelessly tossing all of the remaining pieces that she had scattered around back into the box. Placing the box on the shelf, Rey left the parts room to fix the droid. She wandered from one hallway to the next, searching aimlessly for 3PO but she wasn't going to lie, she mostly went in the wrong direction to afford herself more time to be alone. Sometimes she just couldn't stand the protocol droid.

It had been a few weeks since she escaped the clutches of the First Order. A few weeks since she could finally begin to feel like herself again. A few weeks since she had seen Kylo Ren or heard from him. At first Rey thought that perhaps he had died after setting her free and she had lived with that guilt for days. It had eaten at her, consumed her whole.

And then one night when she finally fell asleep, she felt him. All of his pain and fear. His despair. It wasn't like any of her other dreams though. He wasn't present in her mind. It was residual, almost like she was feeling the aftershocks of pain that were being sent out from his mind.

It made sense. They were connected. But knowing that he was in so much excruciating agony, that Snoke was hurting him because he chose to set her free rather than let her die, it nearly killed Rey. How could she live with the knowledge that he had sacrificed everything for her? She wasn't even sure she was worth it, but she knew he could only grow to resent her the longer he remained alive and in torment.

Perhaps that was the point... Kylo had clearly displayed his loyalty to her over Snoke. Rey didn't think Snoke would be pleased with that at all. But what would hurt Kylo Ren more? Killing him outright and proclaiming him as a traitor or torturing him, reconditioning him until he was eventually dispatched to kill the one person he had absolutely tried to protect.

Rey sensed this as truth, knowing Snoke was a devious adversary. He was cunning and cruel and Rey believed absolutely that he would use Kylo against her, against himself in order to be on top.

It wasn't like he was a very forgiving leader either.

The monster made Kylo Ren look like a saint.

Sighing, Rey turned a corner and ending up in the mess hall, knowing she would find Finn and most likely Poe eating some sort of meal. The thought of food made her mouth water and her stomach growl. Suddenly Rey was ravenous.

Almost as soon as she felt the intense wave of hunger, her vision began to swirl around her, almost as if she were on the verge of passing out.

"You okay?" Finn came up to her, smiling as he placed a gentle hand on her shoulder to steady her.

Rey nodded although she felt anything but fine.

"I think I've gone a while without a meal."

"Well come on over here, have a seat and I will go to the line and grab something for you. Any preference?" Rey shook her head and Finn led her over to the table where Poe and a few other pilots were sitting, discussing something quite animatedly.

Finn nudged Rey into his seat, patting her shoulder comfortingly before heading off in the direction of food.

Poe took one look at her sallow face before breaking off a piece of his muffin and pushing it into her hands. "You look like you could use this."

Rey smiled wanly before taking a large bite of her muffin before fitting the rest of in her mouth, barely chewing before she swallowed the delicious treat. Another minute ticked by before her head began to feel normal, despite the lack of food.

Had she really gone so long without taking care of herself? To be honest, she couldn't really remember when the last time she had actually eaten a meal since she had been back. Her clothes were fitting her a bit more loosely than she was used to and she hadn't really been in the mess hall other than to grab a quick snack on the way to whatever training Master Luke had planned for her.

Rey looked down at her empty hands, realizing she had completely forgotten the part for 3PO in the other room. Clearly her head wasn't in the game.

"Here you go! Eat up, Rey." Finn placed a large platter of food in front of her on the table, handing her a fork and a napkin before sitting down at the vacant seat next to her and immediately joining Poe in on whatever conversation was taking place.

"What do you think, Rey?" Poe asked. All of the people at the table turned to gaze at her as she was digging into her food. Rey swallowed heavily, almost as if the gazes made it impossible for her to chew her food.

"Um. I'm afraid I wasn't actually listening."

The group laughed at that and Rey smiled sheepishly, taking another bite of her mashed potatoes.

"If you could pick an X-Wing or a Tie Fighter, which would you use?"

Rey almost told him she had never been inside of a Tie Fighter until the last time she had seen Kylo flashed before her eyes. She had in fact used a Tie Fighter to escape captivity, but to be honest with herself, she didn't exactly remember much about anything the first few days she had made it back to the Resistance. Too traumatic, she supposed.

"I do love an X-Wing," Rey murmured, trying desperately to keep her thoughts in check.

Looking down at her plate, Rey felt nausea creeping in at the once delicious meal. Why did they have to ask her such a question? Now all she could think about was Kylo and her guilt.

Rey stood up abruptly, her chair scraping back on the concrete with an ominous sound.

"I have a session with Master Luke. Thank you, Finn, for the food."

And with that Rey left in search of her Master, knowing she needed to clear her head and focus her energy on becoming one with the Force.  
~*~

Rey had searched far and wide throughout the base, searching for Master Luke. She even used the Force to stretch her senses out slightly further than their hideout, but she still felt nothing of him. It was definitely odd. Rey could have sought out General Organa and discovered his whereabouts, but Rey would she was incredibly tired, almost to the point of lethargy.

Perhaps if she made it back to her room and took a nap she would feel better when she awoke. And if Master Luke was back from where ever he had ventured off to, she could seek him for counsel.

A few more twists and turns down the abandoned hallways, Rey was in her room, changing into a dressing gown that reached her knees before she placed her hair into a side braid, letting it fall over her shoulder and drape over her breast before ending near her stomach. Rey sighed as she realized she had left a small lock out of the braid before rolling her eyes and placing herself on her cot. With the covers cradled lovingly over her body, Rey shut her eyes and drifted off into what she assumed would be a peaceful sleep.

How wrong she had been.

Rey found herself standing in the same field Kylo had been fond of. It was light out, although the smoke that permeated throughout the air masked it quite well. Rey crinkled her nose, her eyes squinting from the heat of the flames.

Flames?!

Shrieking and then immediately coughing as she sucked smoke into her lungs, Rey ran in the opposite direction of the fire that lit up the field she was standing in the middle of.

The wheat slapped her exposed skin, hitting her face, legs and neck, slashing against her bare arms and catching in her hair. Rey didn't care, running even faster, ignoring the hard and sharp earth as it cut into her bare feet.

The further she went from the smoke, the darker the sky itself became. Lightning forked across the darkening sky, lighting up almost ominously as Rey ran, her heart pounding in her chest.

If she was right about Snoke and his plans, she doubted Kylo was in her dream to kiss her and confess his love. No, she knew whatever Kylo was in her dream for, it was nefarious. Sinister. Not wanting to face him, Rey ran headlong into a storm, raining slamming down on her body, soaking her creme colored gown and plastering itself to her body. Her braid was wet and slapped against her chest as she ran.

Another step and the scenery changed. No longer in a wheat field, Rey looked around and realized she was on the flat surface of a mountain. It looked remarkably similar to the image Kylo had shown her earlier, of where he had over taken the Jedi academy and killed almost everyone within. Almost.

Rey turned to glance behind her, wondering if she would see the glow of his morbid lightsaber reflecting off the rain as it came crashing down around them. There was nothing behind Rey that she could detect, only darkness as it began to close in on her.

Rey's foot slipped in front of her, causing her arms to flail as she tried to maintain her balance. Instead, she slid until her knee slammed into the mountain top painfully and she cried out in pain and panic.

She almost couldn't believe she had slipped and fallen. She was always so much more graceful than that, mostly due to the rigorous exercising and training she did by herself and with Master Luke.

But she acknowledged that this was her dream but Kylo Ren controlled it and therefore he was making it more difficult for her.

Rey stood up slowly, wincing as her knee throbbed painfully. She attempted to push pressure on it, hesitant at the pain before running anyway, aware that she heard a lightsaber ignite somewhere to the right of her. She jerked her head in that direction, her eyes narrowing as she gazed further into the darkness that seemed to keep rising out of nowhere, almost like pitch black smoke that began to billow around her, threatening to consume her entirely.

"Kylo?" Rey called out, her voice laced with a tiny bit of pain as she glanced towards the sound of the lightsaber she still could not see.

Where was he?

And then Rey was being lifted into the air by an unseen force, the breath leaving her lungs as her throat was being squeezed, closed until she clawed at her own throat, cutting it with her nails as she clawed at the unseen hand cutting off her oxygen.

Then her body moved further into the darkness before a hand shoved her own away, locking onto her throat and squeezing painfully.

Rey coughed and clawed at the actual hand that was slowly killing her. She followed the hand to a black clad arm to a black covered shoulder and finally to the masked face of Kylo Ren.

A tear fell down Rey's face when she saw him. He was killing her. He was under the influence of Snoke. He had to be.

"Do you cry because you know why I've come?" His distorted voice caressed over her body, causing her to shiver despite the cruel hands choking the life out of her. "Pathetic." He hissed, dropping his hand from her body.

Rey fell to the ground, her weak knee doing nothing to support her as she landed on her backside. Rey coughed and sputtered, hands holding her throat protectively before she looked up and stared at the man she was in love with.

The man who had just tried to kill her.

Rey knew she should have seen this coming. This change. He'd been under the influence of Snoke for years, did she really think his affection for her would allow him to hold out against the dark side?

He knelt down in front of her, his head tilting to the side as she breathed heavily, her chest rising and falling rapidly as his mask was only a few inches from her face.

"What are you going to do?"

A small laugh escaped his mask at that question.

"I'm going to finish what I've started." Kill her. He was going to kill her.

Rey sat in front of him, staring forlornly into the mask that hid his eyes. Then she flung her hands forward, shoving him about ten feet away from her with the Force. He flew back into the darkness, his cape billowing as he went.

Rey stood, ignoring the pain in her leg and focusing instead on waking herself up.

She was powerful and strong. She wouldn't die here in her dreams. She would survive and she would fight the evil spreading throughout Kylo. It was one thing to choose the dark on your own, but she sensed something far more sinister had befallen him.

"Did you think it would be that easy?" His voice whispered behind her an instant before his arms locked around her waist, forcing her into his dark embrace.


	7. Chapter 7

"Let me go!" Rey hissed out, struggling uselessly against the arms that held her captive. The darkness folded around them both, leaving Rey more terrified than she already was. She felt weak in his embrace, as if her fate was already decided and she should just give in to death, to the inevitable.

After a second of feeling sorry for herself, Rey straightened her spine and sucked in a deep breath, letting it out slowly.

I have to control my emotions. Fear is a pathway to the dark side.

Rey inhaled sharply as she repeated the words over and over in her head, like a mantra. She couldn't give in to her fear, nor could she bring herself to think that perhaps she wouldn't make it out of her dream. Perhaps she would die in here, in her own mind. Betrayed by the one person she hoped would stand by her side.

"I have no intention of setting you free."

"Why are you doing this? A few weeks ago you saved my life. Now you're here to end it." Rey struggled some more, eventually slamming her foot into his shin, hearing his hiss of fury as his grip loosened.

Rey doubted she had injured him too severely, given his leather boots kept the bone protected, but Rey used his lax grip and her indignation to guide her forward, quickly breaking his hold on her and spinning around, determined to face him.

Only the darkness that kept them cocooned prevented any such thing from happening. She concentrated on her surroundings, on the knowledge that this was HER dream, and almost immediately the darkness receded, being driven out by the sunlight that began to shimmer around them. The dark dissipated like fog, thinning out until Rey could see Kylo clearly.

"You will answer me." Rey spat at him, knowing the fire that was in her heart and soul was showing through her eyes. Rey ignored the birds chirping around them and the fact that the scenery had changed yet again. They were on the planet Han had taken her to to meet Maz so many months ago. It was the first time she had ever seen such a beautiful planet. It was full of life and the forest had felt like coming home. Until she'd fled for her life from Kylo Ren.

Kylo took a step forward before he stopped himself, almost unsure of how to act now that she had taken control of the situation.

"I don't need to answer to you, scavenger." His hands were loose at his sides, but Rey knew he was bracing himself for the first opportunity to draw his weapon. Would he cut her down without a weapon of her own? A few weeks ago Rey would have doubted it, but now, knowing he was so different made it easy to understand he would have no problems striking her down. Not at the moment.

"Maybe you don't know the reason yourself. But I do. You've let Snoke control you time and time again. This isn't any different. He controls you through pain and torture." Kylo tilted his masked head slightly sideways, as if her words were a foreign language. "Don't you see what he's done to you? Kylo, I felt it being done to you. The pain you felt. The anguish. I'm sure he turned it around and made you feel that I was responsible for what was being done to you. That it was my fault you were hurting. He only seeks to manipulate you into his bidding."

"You should stop talking, Rey. Let me end this before you make me angry."

"Kill me, you mean. You're going to kill me because you were tortured to the point that Snoke took control of your mind. You set me free because you cared more about me than you did yourself. If you do what he wants, if you 'end this' under his influence, you will regret it. Maybe not today or tomorrow, but one day when your head clears you will feel it."

He laughed as if she had been telling him a hilarious story. It sounded creepy through his mask, almost like a robot was trying to understand how human beings did it.

"What exactly do you think I will feel?"

"Sorrow. Misery. Loneliness. All of that awaits you under the influence of Snoke."

Almost as soon as her words were out of her mouth, Kylo Ren's lightsaber ignited, flashing brilliantly before her eyes. "I told you to quit talking." Rey wanted to take a step back, but she remained ramrod straight, unwilling to bend to the dark.

"This isn't you, Kylo. Please," Rey pleaded one last time, knowing it was useless.

"You don't know me!" He shouted at her, raising his blade above his head before swinging it in a graceful arc in her direction.

Rey's own lightsaber met his with a hiss as they connected. It was a light purple, almost lavender. It clashed with the red blade menacingly.

Rey let out a breath of relief, thanking her lucky stars that in her dream she could craft her own lightsaber. Rey had been thinking about the design for a while, knowing it was a task in completing her Jedi training. Rey's lightsaber had a longer handle, slightly longer than her forearm. It had a blade on each end and she knew deep down that she would wield it like her staff on Jakku. She had grown up using a staff as a weapon and she was fierce with it in her hands. She hadn't imagined the blade to be purple but Rey had to admit that it felt right as she gazed up at it in wonder, almost completely forgetting that her lover had come to kill her.

"How can you say I don't know you? I know you intimately, just as you know me."

"Interesting choice of blade," Kylo Ren remarked, ignoring her comment as he seemed to sneer down at her from his advantageous height, although it was hard to tell his expression through his stupid mask.

"Interesting choice of helmet. Tell me, when you picked it out, was it because you wanted to be just like dear old grandpa? I heard he was short a few limbs. Perhaps I could help you with that." Rey used her hands to twist the lightsaber in her hands sharply, feeling a satisfying smile grace her lips as it launched Kylo Ren's own lightsaber to the right of them. It shut off and landed about twenty feet away, hopefully out of reach of Kylo and his power.

Rey took advantage of Kylo's surprise, pointing her lightsaber at him. "Remove your helmet."

Kylo Ren merely stood there.

"Now!" Rey shouted. After a few moments of their standstill, Kylo reached up and removed the helmet, his black waves falling around his face as he glared at her, hate filling his eyes. She took in all of him and his rage, the scar on his face seeming to stand out more prominently than she remembered it.

"I gave you an option, do you remember?" More silence. Rey shifted from one foot to the next, feeling restless. "I told you I would run away with you. That I would go with you anywhere if you wanted to escape the clutches of Snoke. That we could go anywhere. That I loved you," Rey's voice caught at the last words before she cleared her throat. "I hope you know I meant all of that. Every word."

Kylo Ren's face broke at her confession, a look of confusion washing over his features. "You... You are the enemy. The Supreme Leader is wise!"

Rey sighed. And then she woke up.  
~*~

Rey sat up on her cot, a sheen of sweat covering her body, making her braid and nightgown cling to her uncomfortably.

She needed to find Master Luke.  
~*~

"This is very troubling news, Rey." Master Luke sat straight up in his chair, robes billowing around him as his hand rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

Rey nodded her acknowledgement of his words. "What do I do, Master?"

He stared at her, almost startled that she sought his counsel. "I cannot be the one who decides what you shall choose, Rey. Perhaps your destiny lies outside the rules and boundaries of the Jedi."

Rey's breath caught in her throat. What did he mean by that? That she shouldn't become a Jedi? That she wouldn't? "I don't understand. Being a Jedi is all I've wanted since I learned about the Force. About you. Since I joined the Resistance."

"Yes, but the ways of the Jedi are strict. The old ways dictate that we give all of ourselves to the Force and yet you have taken a lover within a few months of beginning your training. Not only that, your lover is a Sith, working to destroy peace and order in the galaxy." Rey ducked her head, truly shamed of her actions. If only she were stronger, perhaps she could have withstood the direction of her heart. Perhaps...

"That being said, it is foolish to reprimand you on the old ways as that is what ultimately nearly wiped out all of the Jedi. Love, or lack thereof." Master Luke sighed heavily, almost as if he felt that burden every moment of every day. "You will be a great Jedi when your training is completed, but the path you choose must be your own. I cannot tell you what to do. I, and the Force, can guide you and assist you in your quest, but the decision will always be your own."

Rey stared at her master, knowing his words were true.

She could dedicate her entire life to the Force, hoping to one day be a Jedi as great as Master Luke. Or she could try to free Kylo from the clutches of Snoke and save him from a probable demise. Was there a way she could do both?

"Now, I believe you mentioned a staff lightsaber?" Master Luke inquired, lightening the mood considerably.  
~*~

"Do you think there is any hope for Kylo Ren?" Poe asked Rey later that evening. The two had met out by one of the watering holes, both of them seemingly lost in their own thoughts. Rey didn't think they had even meant to bump into one another, let alone fall into step together, wandering aimlessly around the outer areas of the base, but Rey was truly glad for some company.

"Well his family is all with the Resistance. He can't be all bad," Rey replied back. Her hands were loose at her sides as they came to stop, both sitting down on a rather large rock and gazing off into the setting suns.

"You said he helped you escape. It's made me think that maybe he's not as cold blooded as I thought." He winced at his own words. "I mean, he did torture me and nearly kill Finn. Not to mention his father and a few villages that I know about. All of that evil probably doesn't cancel out because he saved one person, but they way he did it might."

Rey sighed, not wanting to continue the conversation. As far as she knew, only Master Luke and herself were aware that she could get in touch with Kylo through her dreams and she wasn't in the mood to share the information.

Just to herself though, Rey felt like it was a hopeless situation when it came to Kylo Ren.

And then the next minute she was sure she could reach him.

It was all such a mess.

As the suns set, the breeze turned cooler, drifting over them and bringing the smell of the water that surrounded them. It also brought the smell of the fish lurking in the water.

Actually, the smell was foul but enticing all at once, like she was eating a good meal that was on the verge of turning sour.

Ignoring Poe's words, Rey stood up, took a few steps away from him and promptly vomited in the bushes to her right.

"Oh man, Rey! Are you alright? What am I saying? Of course you're not alright. Do you have a fever? We should get you inside where it's warmer." Rey nodded her head in agreement, leaning on Poe as he placed an arm around her waist, helping to support her as they walked carefully and slowly back towards her rooms.

How odd, Rey thought to herself as she let the pilot assist her into the nearest building.  
~*~

"You see how she lets another hold her?" Supreme Leader sniped down at Kylo Ren from his throne, which sat at least 15 feet high. Kylo Ren kept his gaze on the ground, not looking at either hologram before him. Not at the Supreme Leader and not at the image showing the scavenger in the arms of the pilot.

"LOOK," The voice boomed around him, causing him to wince as it practically shook his ear drums. Kylo lifted his gaze to the screen, for a second captivated by the look of Rey. Every time he saw her his breath caught. She would always fascinate him, he supposed. Staring more intently at the image, he thought perhaps she seemed ill. Her face was more pale than usual and her eyes seemed hollow. When he finally broke his gaze away from the image of Rey, his blood froze in his veins as he took in the ENTIRE image.

The pilot he should have slaughtered almost a year ago had his grimy hands wrapped around her waist, holding her into his side. Rey's head was tilted into his chest, almost using it as a pillow.

Kylo's hands turned into fists at his side. The only thing keeping him from drawing his own blood was the leather gloves that protected his skin.

"How do you feel, Master of the Knights of Ren?"

"Impartial." Kylo Ren lied, even as his eyes narrowed at the hologram. She loved him, did she?

The little tramp had played him for the last time. She was a weakness he could no longer stomach to let live, so long as it embedded him with light.

"Yessss." Supreme Leader hissed in satisfaction. "Feed your anger. Your hate. Let it consume you, Kylo Ren. Then do what you do best and destroy the girl by any means necessary. If she will not join our cause she is a threat, and you are well aware of what we do to threats."

"Yes, Supreme Leader." Kylo stared at the hologram. The Supreme Leader was wise. He was wise. He was wise.


	8. Chapter 8

"You must use the Force." Master Luke's voice echoed throughout the catacombs located under the Rebel base. They were working on Force training; more specifically, the ability to located a person without seeing them or hearing them. Sensing them accurately. For some Force sensitive users it came easily. For others, like Rey, it was extremely difficult.

It wasn't that she was incapable of detecting someone's essence. She could do that with no problem. It was the ability to pinpoint their precise location that gave her pause. Master Luke had the ability to not only locate a specific person that might have been on a different planet, but also the ability to determine what section of the planet, how far from the nearest city and even the type of terrain the person was near. And that was all from a different planet. His skills were magnificent and Rey often wished she could find herself more like him.

Instead, she constantly second guessed herself, relying too much on the sounds in the cavern, Master Luke's voice as it echoed off the granite walls and even the shadows that seemed to bounce around her line of sight. He could find someone from planets away and she could not even find him in one small cavern. It was quite maddening.

They had been down there for hours with only a lantern to provide light. Rey was becoming increasingly frustrated with herself, only wanting to throw a temper tantrum and storm off into the base above. The chill in the catacombs gave Rey shivers as it pressed cool air along her sweaty skin, heightening her discomfort.

"Stop." Master Luke called out, appearing in front of her face a moment later. His eyes seemed almost disappointed as they shone in the lantern's glow. Rey immediately felt ashamed of herself. Luke was like family and knowing that she had let down one of the only people in her life, well, it was awful. Why was she such a failure?

Rey wanted to cry, to throw herself onto the ground and wail at her woes. Instead, she shut her eyes for a brief moment and blocked out the weird feelings that seemed to be coursing through her so often as of late. What was wrong with her?

"You're distracted. This exercise calls for patience, as do many of the sessions to become a Jedi." Luke adjusted the belt of his robes, his lightsaber moving lightly along his hip.

Rey huffed in frustration. "I am trying. But it's impossible!" Rey stomped her foot and crossed her arms, rubbing the cold skin with her palms. She tried her best to ignore the twitch of Luke's lips as he attempted to remain somber. Before long he was smiling happily at her.

"You remind me of a younger version of myself. When I first began training with Master Yoda, I got so irritated with his wishes and commands. I still don't understand how carrying him in a knapsack on my back was a training exercise to become a Jedi Master."

"You won't make me do that, will you?" Rey winced thinking about carrying someone twice her size.

"Oh no. Yoda was extremely more mischievous than I could ever be. Well. Slightly more mischievous. We'll see."

Rey sighed, rubbing her hands along her lower back. She must have been standing hunched over for the past few hours. Every time she straightened her back she felt intense pain, almost as if she had pulled a muscle. No way she was carrying Master Luke anywhere.

"When do you think I can begin to craft my own lightsaber?" Ever since her nightmare with Kylo, Rey kept envisioning the weapon in her hands, wielded by only her. It was almost euphoric, knowing that one day the blade in her mind would be hers and hers alone.

Rey couldn't wait for that day to come to pass.

"You still have much to learn, Rey. Much about crafting your own lightsaber is about your completeness with the Force. If you craft a saber before your training is complete, or nearly complete, you run the risk of destroying a crystal, which is hard to find, or the lightsaber itself being incomplete as it is a reflection on your balance and oneness with the Force."

"Is that why Kylo Ren's blade is so different than yours?"

"It's hard to say," Master Luke walked leisurely about the cavern, Rey following in his footsteps. "It could be a few things. Some believe it was forged with a cracked crystal, thus causing his saber to flicker and crackle as its seems unpredictable. They think that his lightsaber is faulty on purpose, that it makes him more menacing."

Rey nodded her head. It made sense, if she was looking at it through Kylo's sick sense of mind. "What is the other theory?"

"That his lightsaber is as unpredictable as his hold on the Force." Rey stopped walking, letting her Master move ahead of her and out of the cave entrance. Could that really be why his saber was imperfect? Because his hold on the Force was also imperfect? But what did that mean? Perhaps it was because he was always conflicted on which side to join, on what called to him in the most desperate of times.

He was always at war with the Light. Rey had felt it, she knew. His hold on the dark had become more and more tenuous during their time together, almost as if he was inexplicably drawn to the Light, as if he should have always been there.

Then again, he did say it was her influence that made him crave the light side of the Force, even though he truly wanted to belong to the dark side.

Rey didn't think she would ever understand his reasoning, and as for the last time she had encountered Kylo, she knew he might have been well and truly lost to her.

"Rey?" Master Luke appeared at the entrance, staring down at her fondly from his superior height.

"I'm coming, Master." Rey left her thoughts behind her in the cave, following Master Luke out into the suns embrace.  
~*~

"Are you feeling better, Rey?" Poe asked as they bumped into one another in the dining hall. Rey smiled happily at her friend. It had been well over two weeks since she'd gotten sick in front of him, but that very day he'd gone on a mission for the Rebellion and had only gotten back that afternoon.

"Yes. It must have just been something I ate, was all. Was your mission successful?"

"Always," Poe smirked, taking his tray of food and leading her over to the table Finn was currently occupying. He sat down next to Finn, tray on the table to free up his hands. He rubbed Finn's shoulders, startling her friend. "Hiya, buddy. Miss me?" Poe waggled his eyebrows suggestively, causing Rey's own eyebrows to shoot up in bewilderment. Especially as Finn choked on a bite of bread he had in his mouth. Rey couldn't discern whether it was from Poe's waggling eyebrows or his tone, which clearly indicated that Finn should have definitely been missing the pilot.

"You know I did," Finn whispered out in between coughing fits. His attention moved to Rey and his gaze softened at her. Ever since Jakku and everything they had faced together, the two were bonded in a way that could never be broken. They had trusted each other, when they had scarcely given another living soul the opportunity and they had grown as friends and partners. Finn was Rey's best friend and she was glad she had been back long enough to realize how much she needed him, especially after everything with Kylo.

Rey had been worried at first, that Finn might judge her or speak harshly. Instead, he had openly embraced her when she confessed her love of the man beneath the mask. How he had made her feel, how they saw into each other and knew each other. They were one, even if it was only for a short time. Finn had held her and made her feel less awful for loving someone so cruel. So evil. Finn had been there for her, even knowing that Kylo Ren had almost killed him when they had battled with lightsabers, Finn clearly trying to protect Rey from the Knight. Finn had sat by her side, held her when she wanted to cry but did not and he comforted her because he was her friend and he loved her.

Finn had been the person to give her the boost she needed to leave Jakku and he had also been her companion when she needed to talk to someone about training, weapons or even to just wind down and rest. Rey believed they had formed a bond almost as strong as the one she believed tethered her and Kylo together.

"Aaaaaand Rey is lying to you. She's been sick a few more times since you left, but she refuses to go to Medical." Rey rolled her eyes. Hadn't she just been thinking about how he always had her back? Poe shot a worried glance in her direction, but Rey waved it off, breaking off a piece of her roll and eying the former Stormtrooper mischievously.

Rey tossed a piece of bread at him, something that only a year ago would have never occurred to her, not ever. Food was always so precious and hard to come by.

"I feel fine," she reiterated. When the both men continued to stare, obviously worried for her wellbeing, Rey sighed. "It's very odd. I mean, sometimes I get sick but immediately after I feel completely healthy. And I'm still eating and drinking plenty of fluids. I don't feel tired or drained." Although the past week she had felt more and more tired after her practices with Master Luke, but it was probably due to using the Force so much. She was trying her best to be better than ever, to be stronger. It made sense that she would feel tired after her training lessons.

"Actually, you've been eating a lot more than you usually do, which is saying something,"Finn pointed out, in between bites of his potatoes.

"Speak for yourself." Rey snapped back at the same time Poe asked, "What are you saying?"

"That she eats enough for two people every single meal, and now she's eating even more. I don't know how she isn't as big as freighter by now." Finn joked at her, elbowing Poe to get in on the festivities. Instead, Poe had a frozen look on his face, staring at Rey with wide eyes. Finn turned his full attention on the pilot, a confused look on his face. "Poe? What's the matter with you?"

"Rey, I really think you should go to Medical." Poe whispered, leaning across the table to afford them more intimacy. "I think I know what's wrong with you."

Rey rolled her eyes. "Like I've been saying, I'm fine. There is nothing wrong with me."

"If you don't submit yourself to Medical, then I will take my suspicions to Jedi Skywalker and General Organa." Rey felt a darkening in her mind and the spoon in her hand bent, almost on its own, although she knew her anger was bending the metal. He was going to go to General Organ and Master Luke and tell them something he couldn't even be bothered to tell her?

"You can't be serious. What do you think is wrong with me?"

"I don't want to say."

"But you're perfectly fine spreading rumors about me to our superiors."

"Yes, as I believe it concerns them." Concerned them how? What was he implying? Actually, Rey didn't care what was he implying. She didn't need to sit here and listen to him act high and mighty, as if he were better than her.

"You're out of your mind." Rey hissed at him, standing abruptly and departing the dining hall. She was so worked up, a few lights shattered overhead as she walked by, startling those who passed by in the hall. She could practically feel their eyes on her as the glass cracked where they stepped.

With the exertion of energy, Rey suddenly felt exhausted. Perhaps she should take another nap before dinner? It would be her fourth nap of the week, but Rey was working hard with Master Luke. It made sense that being drained emotionally could make her physically tired. Besides, she was fine.

Even if she was beginning to suspect she wasn't.  
~*~

"Are you aware of what you're implying, especially to me?" General Organa sat in the conference room with Poe Dameron, a pained expression on her face. Her brother, Luke, sat next to her, a strong grip on her hand as she tried to cover the shaking in her limbs. The possibility that Rey could be carrying her grandchild was overwhelming. But ultimately, someone else's suspicions meant nothing unless a pregnancy was confirmed. If it wasn't confirmed, General Organa would go about her business, helping to defeat The First Order. She couldn't allow herself to become distracted by such accusations, especially as they were unfounded.

Granted, when the girl, Rey had come back to them, she had been heartbroken. But that didn't mean anything concrete.

It was all speculation.

"I am aware of what I'm implying. In fact, I am stating it. Rey is pregnant and I believe the father is Kylo Ren."

"Rey has been slightly off since her return, but that can be attributed to many things." Master Luke said, his hand never leaving his sisters. "But to suggest that a child was to be born of two Force users, especially those on opposite sides of the Force, could make life difficult for Rey. It could make others fear her, fear what was inside of her. If there is anything." But he had felt something peculiar from his Padawan... Something different. "Not to mention, if word spread of this and Kylo Ren were to find out, or Snoke, it could spell disaster. There has never been a child born to two Force wielders. A child like that would be potentially the most powerful being to ever take hold of the Force. Snoke wouldn't pass up the opportunity to target Rey or to use Kylo Ren to do it."

"We need to protect her and my grandchild from both of them." General Organa stood, taking back all of her earlier speculation. She felt Luke's resolve through the Force, he knew something. And Leia knew Luke was seldom wrong. They needed to protect Rey, but first they needed to confirm the pregnancy. "Where is she?"

Luke paused for a moment, almost lost in thought. "She is resting in her quarters. She seems so tired. So exhausted."

"Let me go to her. She was alone for so long on Jakku, maybe she doesn't understand what is actually happening to her." Both men nodded in agreement. "Thank you for bringing this to our attention, but tell no one else of your suspicions. Not even your friend Finn. No one will no about this but us and Rey." It was the only way to keep them all safe.


	9. Chapter 9

"She is blocking me," Kylo Ren spat out to himself, pacing the abandoned corridor. He wanted to lash out with his lightsaber, destroy the fixtures adorning the hallway. Instead, he paced back and forth, attempting to seek the control he was having an even more difficult time holding on to. Ever since he had seen how she was spending her time away from him.

The scavenger whore. She thought she could just manipulate him? Make him feel as if he would abandon all of his practices, his hard work, for her? Did she truly think she could get away with it? He was so angry. So furious. Kylo Ren could not remember a time when someone had gotten so far under his skin that it was nearly impossible to remove their influence.

He assumed, all of those weeks ago when he invaded her dreams, that she would be easy to be rid of. He could kill her and finally shed the light that so torturously lingered in his soul. He would finally be free to pursue his true purpose with the dark side and yet when he had seen her, so beautiful and fierce in her attempt to escape him, Kylo Ren's resolve had faltered.

He had still cared for the wench. Still remembered the way she had felt in his arms, how seductive she was, how everything about her had drawn her to him, like a moth to a flame. And just like the moth, he had been burned.

Like a fool, he kept coming back.

Hadn't the Supreme Leader made him aware of his terrible errors? To help her escape sentencing had been nearly unforgivable. To let her escape, YET AGAIN, had been almost more treacherous than before. But she had looked upon him with such longing, with such heartache. She'd been clad in a white gown and she positively glowed in his presence, almost like the angel he used to think of her.

It had made his resolve falter, his intent to kill her weaken. Perhaps he could have still turned her to his cause, persuaded her to join him. Maybe if she joined him, they could overthrow the Supreme Leader. They could rule The First Order and all of the galaxy TOGETHER.

That had been his new plan, or maybe it had been his plan all along, from the moment he carried her on to his ship and brought her to Star Killer Base. To be the most powerful off all the Jedi and Sith combined. To be truly unstoppable. So he had graciously allowed her to live, to escape him again. To be merciful.

But that was all gone. It had all changed the moment Supreme Leader exposed her whorish ways to Kylo Ren. To seek solace in the pathetic and easily killable pilot, POE DAMERON. She was probably fucking the traitor also.

Who knew? She had probably been all over Luke Skywalker as well. And who would resist such a tempting morsel?

Kylo Ren hadn't been able to, as much as he had wanted to distance himself from her. She had probably thrown herself at the last Jedi and spread her legs wide, exposing every delectable piece of herself...

Kylo Ren's lightsaber exploded into action, ripping through the metal walls in the corridor as if slicing through paper. Over and over again, he struck out in a blind rage, picturing Rey with anyone other than himself. No, picturing the scavenger whore with anyone else.

Soon enough, she would be at his mercy and there would truly be no one else for the scavenger. He would be her last. And then he would kill her.

The time for the scavenger's death had come and Kylo Ren knew it was long overdue.

He smiled as he sheathed his lightsaber, walking purposefully towards his ship.  
~*~

It was time.

"Congratulations, Rey. You're pregnant." A medical droid held up a vial of her blood as if in happiness at such news.

Rey's eyes widened in panic and she felt the room spinning almost before she found herself flat on her back, the bed in the med unit under her. She blinked several times before General Organa was able to come into focus. Had Rey passed out from the shock? It certainly felt like it. Oh what was she going to do now? Surely this couldn't be happening. Maybe she was still dreaming? She had been sleeping pretty heavily the past few weeks. Maybe this entire thing was a nightmare, constructed by her mind at Poe's cryptic and irritating words earlier.

Although Rey highly doubted it. She stared at Leia Organa for a few moments, truly taking in the woman in front of her.

The General looked both thrilled and terrified. Rey could definitely relate.

"I don't... I don't understand. Why is this happening?" General Organa merely raised an eyebrow at the young woman and Rey's breath caught. Well, obviously Rey didn't want General Organa to go into detail about what Rey had been doing with her son. "I mean, I know how this happened, I just don't understand HOW. It was only the one time. I mean, the only actual time we were together physically. The rest, it was just in our minds. So that doesn't count. That can't count. It was just the one time." Rey repeated it like an affirmation. As if her declaration could possibly produce a different result from the droid before her.

It was just the one time.

General Organa's eyebrows lowered in sympathy, her lips trembling slightly at the predicament they had now all found themselves in. "Unfortunately dear, once is all it takes." Once is all it takes.

"I think I'm going to be sick." Rey leaned to the side of the bed, finding a bucket and throwing up the meal she'd had only a few hours before. What was she going to do now? Jedi weren't supposed to have children. Surely her training was over. Especially if it could harm the baby.

The baby.

Rey puked again, whimpering as her stomach clenched painfully and sweat dripped from her forehead.

She was having a baby. Kylo Ren was the father. The only man she had ever loved. Who was a monster. And the father of her child. A monster who tried to murder her in her sleep on a few weeks ago... The last time she had seen him.

"I can't be having his baby. I can't." Rey fell back onto the bed, throwing her forearm over her eyes, hoping it would dull the sense of tears she could feel building.

"You are having his baby. Unless... Are you thinking of terminating? You should only be a little over a month, maybe closer to two. Now would be the time."

Rey sat up abruptly, hands clutching her stomach protectively. "No! I mean, I can't. I can't abandon my own child, not after having had that fate for myself." Although, it had been Kylo who had abandoned her all those years ago. But nonetheless, she wouldn't abandon something that was hers, even if Kylo Ren would surely seek to claim the child himself. Would he kill her if she stood in the way of him and his heir?

"We can't tell anyone. We mustn't. If Kylo finds out... He'll come for me. You know he will." Rey clutched General Organa's shoulder, her eyes pleading with the older woman.

General Organa sighed, nodding her head in acknowledgment. "I agree with you, Rey. If he found out, it would spell disaster. Especially if this child is as strong or stronger than the both of you. There is no record of a child being born of two Force users. I don't know what this could mean, but if my grandchild fell into his father's hands, it would surely spell out disaster for the galaxy. For all of us."

"What do we do?" Rey asked, her voice trembling as tears filled her eyes. She already knew what had to be done, but a part of her, a selfish part, screamed in denial. She was going to flee like a coward. Run away. Be alone, all over again.

She needed to pull herself together, even if she now knew it was hormones from a pregnancy that were causing her to lose control of herself at times. She took a deep breath, steadying her pulse and thoughts before looking directly at the General.

"First, we need to get you out of here, the sooner the better. We can't keep you with the population. In a few more months you will begin to show and others will begin to speculate. I would love to assume there are no traitors or spies among us, but we must remain vigilant. It is no longer safe for you here."

Rey nodded, although she felt hollow inside. She was going to leave the only true family she had ever known to raise a baby in secret. She knew this was to be the only way, but it still saddened her. Made her heart feel even heavier.

"Luke will be going with you."

"But Master Luke is needed here." Rey protested, although her heart lifted with the knowledge she wouldn't be abandoned. General Organa held up a firm hand, stopping whatever other protest might have left Rey's mouth.

"Yes, he is, but he is needed with you as well. If it becomes dire here for us, we will know how to contact Luke, unlike the last time when he was missing for years. You and the baby are more important." General Organa's eyes softened, placing her hand on top of Rey's as they both clutched at her stomach. "I never thought I would have a grand child. You'll be a wonderful mother, Rey."

Rey smiled slightly, although it was mostly frozen on her face. The entire scenario was completely surreal to her. Completely surreal. Only a few hours ago she had been napping, enjoying the peaceful rest she now had, ever since she had blocked Kylo Ren from her mind.

Now everything had changed.

She had changed. She was pregnant and she was leaving the Resistance, probably for good. As long as Kylo Ren remained with Snoke, there was no hope of Rey returning to the fight with a child in tow. Especially if the child looked anything like Kylo Ren, although most hadn't seen him without a helmet. But if he looked like General Organa or Han Solo... Perhaps he would take after Obi Wan Kenobi and favor Rey's lineage?

And she was already thinking of her child as a son.. Wasn't that bizarre? She could just as very well have a daughter, but for some reason in her heart, in her mind, she knew she carried a son.

"I've been speaking with Luke, and he thinks he might be capable of masking your presence from Kylo Ren, at least for the next several months until the baby is born. If you're up for it, he might be able to teach you in the event you need to hide yourself without the assistance of Luke." Rey nodded, still feeling numb.  
~*~

"I'm not letting you leave without me, not again." Finn said, hand around a bag that seemed to be holding all of his important possessions. As a Stormtooper, he never had anything that was truly his, which made adapting to a life constantly on the move easy. His only prized possession was the jacket Poe had given him, which he always wore. It freed up the space in his bag, which seemed to hold a few books, a hologram of some sort and his clothing.

Rey smiled sadly at her friend. She didn't think Finn would want to leave with her, especially if he were aware of the reasons. Before she could utter a denial, Master Luke came around the corner, his own possessions in a bag similar to Finn's. He walked until he came upon the two individuals.

"We will be glad to have you with us, Finn. Although you should know, the odds of us coming back to the Resistance in the near future, most likely several months, is basically impossible. We are going deep underground, which also means no communication unless absolutely necessary. Is that something you are willing to do?"

Finn looked at Rey, smiling sheepishly at her before answering. "Well, as Rey knows, I didn't exactly sign up for the Rebellion a year ago. It kind of fell into my lap. I came here because Rey was determined to help. If she's going, so am I."

"Fantastic. I hope you don't mind, we'll be taking another friend with us. It is his ship, after all." And with that, Master Luke boarded the Millennium Falcon, Chewbacca roaring from the ship, no doubt welcoming Luke aboard.

Finn swore before smiling at Rey. "Sorry. You know that big fur ball hates me."

"Oh come on now, you and he are practically best friends."

And with that, the two boarded the Falcon and waited for a few med droids to hop on board with several sets of equipment. Finn only raised an eyebrow at Rey but remained silent.

She would tell him soon, she promised herself.


	10. Chapter 10

3 months later...  
~*~

Rey's back bowed off the bed, her hands clutching at the sheets mercilessly. Legs spread wide, she moaned audibly at the sensations that were coming over her. She opened her eyes, staring momentarily at the ceiling before looking down the length of her body to the man that had his head buried between her legs.

His hair was black as night and curled ever so slightly and touching his shoulders. His body was long and lean, with scars crisscrossed all along his exposed flesh. She would know that body anywhere, that hair, those scars.

His tongue flicked expertly along her sensitive flesh, causing another moan to escape as her breathing became labored and her toes curled. Not one to give in so easily, he stopped his ministrations and rose above her, his eyes piercing her own with their intensity and depth.

Rey could get lost in his eyes.

And then he was thrusting inside of her, his hand lifting her hips to grant him better access. All the while, his eyes stayed on hers, almost as if he was afraid she would leave him in an instant. Rey reached up and cupped his cheek, running her thumb along the bottom part of the scar he had before she was kissing him passionately, their tongues warring just as much as their bodies were for supremacy.

Rey moaned into his mouth as another thrust went straight to her core. She kissed him fervently, her hands running along the hard muscles of his back and digging in ruthlessly. She wanted him to keep going, to never stop. To never leave her. She was desperate for him.

Breaking their kiss, Rey gazed lovingly at the man before her as another thrust hit home. And then she was breaking apart in his arms as her orgasm took over her. Kylo dipped his head down into her neck, burying his face as he buried his body inside of her, his own orgasm taking over.

Spent, Kylo lay on top of Rey and she let her arms wrap around his torso, letting herself hold him to her as long as possible.

"I love you," Rey whispered into his shoulder, feeling a tear forming only to fall from her lashes and land on her cheek.

Kylo sat up, a haunted look on his face as he wiped the stray tear from her cheek. Rey closed her eyes, savoring the feel of his hands on her body. Until they wandered slightly lower and closed around her throat forcefully.

Rey's eyes widened in shock, although she should have known better. She had been having the same type of dream for months. Always sexual, probably due to the excessive hormones, she always told him she loved him because she just couldn't stand him not knowing, and he always choked her. Then she was waking up, confused as to if he had really been in her mind or if she was now having her own dreams about him. Regular dreams filled with sex and near death experiences. She had determined it was from her pregnancy. Hormones everywhere and she was constantly thinking about the Master of the Knights of Ren, wondering if he was doing alright, if he was okay. The things she had heard from General Organa when they could communicate weren't promising. If anything, Kylo Ren seemed so much worse once she disappeared from him.

"You say you love me, yet you fuck anyone that looks at you, don't you, Rey?" Rey's eyes flew to his face, shocked that he was actually speaking to her in this dream. Generally he just looked at her in such despair, began to strangle her and then she woke up. She grabbed the hand that was cutting off her circulation, now more terrified than ever that this wasn't a dream at all. Kylo was there with her, which could only mean he was getting closer to them in the actual galaxy. Rey needed to warn the others.

"Stop, Kylo. Stop! It's going to hurt the-" Rey stopped talking, taking a quick look to ensure part of the blanket was covering her presently growing womb before she looked back at him. As her vision began to cloud, Rey became frantic, clawing at his hands until they bled. She just needed him to let go.

"Hurt what? Hurt the poor little pilot when you wind up dead in your bed? I've been searching for you for months, scavenger. Once when I thought more of you, I would have given up, honestly, content to let you flee and live. Free to let the Supreme Leader I intended to hunt you down, when in reality, I only wanted you out of harms way. And then I saw you with your arm around that fucking pilot and it was never more clear to me. You would have done anything to escape the Supreme Leader. I was merely your pawn. I am never the pawn." And he squeezed harder, sitting up on the bed with his knees straddling her stomach, his other hand joining the first to choke the life out of her and their young.

With one final movement, Rey kneed him in the balls, feeling the satisfaction of the direct hit as he moaned deep in his throat, his hands falling away from hers. She used his distraction to shove him off of her, his body landing next to hers on the cot she used every night to try and sleep. Rey sprang from the bed and tried to open the door with the pin pad on the wall, but it was locked. Nothing happened, which made sense, because obviously Kylo Ren was steering this dream in whatever direction she chose. She heard Kylo cough and the sheets rustling and she shut her eyes in panic.

Maybe should could just shut her eyes and will herself awake? Rey had done it before... But it had been different then. Her hold on the Force had been less tenuous, more certain. Master Luke thought it was because the baby was a Force user, that perhaps it was harnessing some of her own energy in order to grow. Something about midi-chlorians being in all living beings and how they are used to connect to the Force. It was making her weaker even as it made her child more powerful, and hopefully, more drawn into the light of the Force.

After a few more seconds that felt like decades, Rey came to the horrible conclusion that she wouldn't be capable of ending the dreamscape, at least not at that moment. Even if she was stronger, she was far too panicked to do anything other than attempt any kind of wake up call on her own.

She hear more rustling coming from the man that was on the other side of her small bedroom and Rey turned to face him.

Kylo stood from the bed, well, he hunched from the bed, his head down as his breathing was labored. Then he was standing at his full height, gloriously naked in front of her, his eyes full of hate and something else she could only describe as white hot desire. Rey sucked in a breath, feeling the stirring in her body at seeing him so exposed and in front of her. How long had she truly been without him? It had been over five months in total. Only a few more months and she would be giving birth, tucked safely away in a planet located on the outer rim. Her baby would be without its father, not ever knowing the affection or love of the man who helped create it. Although if he was as close to her as she was beginning to suspect, her baby might well and truly be raised by its father, which was way more terrifying.

The thought made Rey's heart ache, but she tucked the feeling away and focused on the man in front of her.

Even facing the man intent on murdering her, her body still stirred to life, completely under his control, even without the Force. It sickened her that she was so attracted to him, that she missed him, evening knowing the outcome of coming face to face with him would result in something disastrous.

Kylo's eyes heated at the sight of her body, no doubt feeling the same way she was, despite his hatred toward her. His eyes lowered, focused on her larger stomach before looking back at her in confusion. Then he was on her, his hands wrapping around her waist lifting her legs and wrapping them around his waist before he pushed inside of her again, his hips pumping back and forth.

What was he doing? What was she doing? She needed to get out, to leave. He saw her stomach, surely he knew she carried his youngling.

Rey's back hit the door as his hips thrust into her painfully, stretching her as he filled her to the hilt. Her hands clutched at his shoulders, pulling her body up slightly to kiss his full lips, their bodies slamming into one another. Then her arms wrapped around the back of his neck, her kisses becoming more frantic with his, their lips connecting over and over. Then his tongue was in her mouth, filling her even further. His hands clutched her ass, and Rey moaned as his fingers dug into her skin.

A few moments later and Rey was flat on her back on the cot, Kylo hovering above her like some sort of dark angel, his hand cupping her cheek as he stared down at her, their hips moving in unison. It was like that, with their eyes and bodies locked, that Rey and Kylo orgasmed together.

It was euphoric and binding, almost as strong as the Force bond that had formed before them. Rey reached up, entwining her fingers with Kylo's, although she could feel his reluctance through their bond.

"You realize this changes nothing." Kylo said down at her, his features twisting into a snarl. "Whose is it?"

Rey looked up at him, haunted by the fact that he truly thought so low of her, that he honestly believed she could forget him so easily and be with another. With any other. Did he really think he wasn't important to her?

"Do you really need to ask?" The words came out more steady than Rey assumed, for which she was grateful. She stared up at him, wanting to memorize every single line of his face. To capture this moment, as she knew it was going to be the last semi pleasant encounter between them. She would need to be stronger with her mind, to ensure she could keep herself away from him for as long as was necessary.

"Do you think I would be so naive to believe it could be mine?" The words stung, although Rey knew to expect it. Kylo had been manipulated time and time again, this being no exception. But she didn't want him to know it was his child. If he honestly believed it, what would happen to her? To their child? Would he take the babe from her arms?

What if he found her beforehand, took her back with him and she was forced to give birth in one of the ships of The First Order? Then she would well and truly never see her child after it's birth. It would be taken from her and raised to be evil.

"I don't care what you believe."

With that, Rey pushed herself up and away from him, her legs draped over the cot, back facing the man she was in love with.

"You know how close I am." The words were whispered like a dark caress.

"Yes." Rey said, voice strangled with the knowledge that she and the others would have to flee yet again to another planet. A safer planet. Somewhere far away.

"You're thinking of running." Rey remained silent, even as Kylo's fingertips moved slowly up and down her spinal column. She shivered at the touch but didn't look towards him. "You know you can't escape. I will find you, every time."

"No."

"Yes." He grabbed her long dark brown hair, tugging her head back until he was looking down at her. "Perhaps the child will be just as strong as its mother. I could use an apprentice."

"No." Rey claimed again, struggling in his arms to break away as his free hand came down onto her stomach, fingers splayed wide. He shut his eyes and Rey knew what he was doing. He was sending his essence into her womb, feeling the youngling.

"He's so strong." Kylo commented, his voice filled with awe. "I've never felt a power quite like it." He shuddered, almost as if something had passed over him, then he was letting go of her and his eyes pierced hers. "I'm already on Lothal, the planet you are hiding so pointlessly on. It's only a matter of hours before I have your precise location."  
~*~

Rey sat up on her cot, breathing heavily. She looked down, realizing her night gown had been removed and was on the floor and she was completely bare.

She hadn't been dreaming. Kylo Ren was there. He was on the planet!

Springing up from her bed, Rey grabbed a robe, covering herself adequately enough and escaping from her room, wandering through the large hut and into Master Luke's sleeping quarters.

"Master, please wake up. Kylo Ren is here! Can you sense it?"

Master Luke sat up slowly, rubbing the sand from his eyes as he blinked warily at the woman before him. "Rey? Are you certain?" Rey nodded her head, not trusting her voice to remain calm and detached. "Oh," Master Luke replied after a few moments of focusing. "I'm surprised we didn't sense a disturbance before now, although if he's been blocking like we have, we should have expected such behavior."

"We've stayed too long and now he's here. He came to me again. He knows I'm with child. He sensed that the Force is strong with the youngling. What if he begins to suspect it's his?" Would it matter or was her child as good as lost to The First Order? She couldn't let that happen. She wouldn't.

Rey would do anything to protect her child, even destroy the one man she had ever loved.


	11. Chapter 11

"We need a plan," Finn said, ever stating the obvious. Chewbacca roared in the former stormtroopers general direction. Rey smiled, knowing the Wookiee was insulting her friend, but not caring. It was a bit of a stupid statement. Obviously they needed a plan. The only problem was, what kind of plan? They were on the outskirts of a small trading town, their only mode of transportation the Millennium Falcon. It wasn't like the Millennium Falcon was an unknown ship. It had belonged to Kylo's father Han and it was definitely a big part of the Rebellion, both back when the Empire was in charge and now, with The First Order.

With only the Falcon to get them off of the planet, they were doomed. Rey knew it, and seeing the slumped shoulders of her Wookiee friend, Rey knew Chewy was feeling the same way. There was no way to cause a distraction, and already they could see different Tie Fighters and worse, Kylo Ren's own personal ship coming towards them, offset by the rising sun.

"Okay, definitely need a plan right about now." Finn exclaimed, his eyes widening at all the ships in the sky, coming closer and closer.

"We should hide." Rey announced, although it came out as more of a question. Hide? What was wrong with her? Even if they found the perfect hiding spots, Kylo Ren would still be able to sense their presences enough to pinpoint their general locations. He found was able to find them out of all the planets scattered around them. Did Rey honestly think they would stand a chance hiding like cowards within a few hundred feet of The First Order?

So stupid.

"We could just try and evade them with the Falcon. Do you think we could make it to light speed before we were captured?" Finn pointed out, looking at the pilots in question.

"It's awfully risky." Rey replied, although the fear at seeing so many soldiers of The First Order coming straight for them, Rey felt that perhaps it was their only hope.

"Do we know where Luke went?" Finn asked, looking around.

"I believe he went to scope out the area, see if he could come up with something for us to do other than surrender to The First Order." In truth, Rey wasn't sure where he had gone off to. He had been very cryptic before disappearing. Rey could only assume he was off acquiring a small ship to use in case the Falcon needed to be left behind. The thought of leaving behind Han's legacy made Rey's heart ache, but really, there was only so much she could do and the protection of her child and her friends would always come first. Even if it was the only thing of Han Solo she had.

Well, she supposed that wasn't true anymore, laying her hands on her rounded stomach and rubbing the area soothingly, sending waves of warm energy to the child nestled comfortably inside of her. She was carrying the grandchild of Han Solo, so not all of Han would ever be lost to her.

Finn looked down at Rey's hands, clasped tightly over her ever expanding stomach. Looking back at her, Finn's expression hardened. "We aren't going to surrender. As the self appointed Godfather to this child, there is no way we are handing over the next generation of Jedi to The First Order. We're getting off of this planet, even if I have to sacrifice myself as the distraction to ensure you get away." Rey eye's softened at his declaration, knowing Finn meant every word he was saying.

Rey shook her head furiously. "Not happening. If I'm getting off of this planet, we all are. No one is sacrificing anything. Not today."

"I'd be a lousy distraction anyway," Finn conceded sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head and laughing slightly. Chewbacca roared his consent, smacking Finn upside the head before moving towards the Falcon, boarding the vessel. Rey had no doubt he was going to start up the Falcon, ensuring everything was in order for their daring escape.

She looked around for Master Luke, growing more worried as the seconds ticked by and there was no sign of him. She fidgeted with her newly crafted lightsaber, eyes fixing on the ships in the sky coming closer and closer.

"Rey!" Finn shouted, breaking her concentration on the ships and back to their situation. "Chewy says we're ready to go. We need to leave."

Rey shook her head. "We can't leave yet. We don't know where Master Luke is."

"Rey, wherever he is, he's there for a reason. Luke Skywalker never does anything without a reason. If he's not here with us now, it's because where ever he is is more important. We need to leave."

"It doesn't feel right. I don't know if I can leave him behind." Looking up, Rey noticed the ships were beginning to land just a little ways from their location. Her heart picked up a furious beat and dropped into her stomach, all at once. She felt hot and cold, almost as if her body and mind were so at war with each at the thought of actually seeing Kylo Ren descend from his ship and into her life, she couldn't process what she needed to do.

She just stood there, frozen in place.

"Rey!" Finn barked, sounding so unlike himself as he rushed down the ramp, grabbing her upper arm and dragging her back to the Falcon with him, her long hair falling out of its makeshift bun and tumbling down her back, billowing in the breeze as they rushed to safety.

As soon as they were on board, the ramp came up and the Falcon came to life, slightly rocking back and forth as Rey felt the Force holding them in place instead of lifting slowly into the air as they should have been. Rey ran into the cockpit, looking out the window with Chewbacca, eyes landing on the masked figure of Kylo Ren, his hand outstretched and holding them in place.

"Well fuck," Finn groaned, saying exactly what Rey was thinking.

"I can try to block his control, try to push the Force back at him." It might work, Rey thought. But then again, it might not.

Just as she was about to drain herself of energy, she watched as twelve stormtroopers that had flanked around Kylo Ren were thrown through the air like rag dolls, landing in motionless heaps on the ground over twenty feet away.

Then Master Luke came from the right, stepping out into the clearing and facing off with Kylo Ren. Turning his attention from the Millennium Falcon, Kylo Ren ignited his lightsaber, pointing it at his uncle and saying something, as evidenced by the motioning he did with his lightsaber.

Rey watched as Master Luke's lips moved and his hand came to his own light saber. His expression seemed haunted, which made sense as Rey knew they hadn't truly come into contact in so many years.

Transfixed, the Falcon didn't rise into the air and escape as Rey had assumed. Instead, they all stared, mesmerized at the scene unfolding before them.

Without another word, the Jedi Knight launched himself at his nephew, green lightsaber igniting and clashing with red as Kylo flew into the battle, meeting his uncle with equal force, both physically and mentally.

Sparks flew and the noise of the lightsabers made Finn wince and cover his own ears. He was never around when Rey and Master Luke practiced, which made since why he wasn't used to the sound.

Rey winced as Master Luke struck Kylo Ren's thigh, slicing through his robe and pant leg. The Knight flipped backwards, out of range before looking down to inspect the wound momentarily. Then he was throwing himself back into the fight, almost as if his anger alone was enough to beat all of his enemies. Perhaps it was, generally, but Rey had every faith Master Luke could beat his nephew. Whether he would be able to do something so dreadful, Rey was unsure. Master Luke was a man who was pure of heart. He wasn't the kind of cut down family. He hadn't been able to do it with Darth Vader and he had watched Ben Solo be born, had watched him grow into a young man before he descended into darkness.

Was he capable of such a terrible thing?

Finn sucked in a deep breath, drawing Rey out of her own thoughts and on the fight below as Kylo Ren sliced off Master Luke's robotic arm before throwing his hand out and throwing her Master back. The Jedi fell back, landing with an audible thud onto the ground. Rey didn't see him moving. She did see Kylo Ren approaching him at an even pace, lightsaber swinging back and forth with his wrist movements.

He was going to kill the last Jedi Knight. He was going to kill her grandfather Obi Wan's friend. The one person Obi Wan had died to protect, who he had watched over since birth to keep safe.

It wasn't until Rey found herself outside, sprinting with her lightsaber staff in hand, that she realized what she was doing.

Igniting the lightsaber staff, Rey's blade connected with Kylo's as he brought it down forcefully towards her Master's prone form. Rey looked up, registering the shocked feeling that passed through Kylo before she gripped her staff in both hands, flipping the double blade and knocking Kylo Ren's lightsaber from his grip. Master Luke was used to the move during their practices, able to deflect the movement and keep his lightsaber in hand, but Kylo was unused to the move and his blade went flying into the air.

Rey anticipated his next movement, knowing he would try to draw it back to him with the Force. Not giving him the chance, Rey forced her left elbow up sharply, the bone connected with his helmet, snapping his head back and sending him falling to the ground on his back, much like her Master.

"You were going to kill him." Rey snapped the words out, feeling tears filling her eyes. She knew she was pregnant and hormonal, but all she could feel was her anger, burning brighter than she would have expected at coming face to face with the father of her child, determined to murder even more of his family.

"You sound surprised." Kylo's distorted voice came out mockingly.

"Disappointed. How many more of your family will you murder? First your father, now you're after your uncle. Who's next? Your mother? Our young?" In that moment, Rey didn't care if he knew it was his child. He obviously had his suspicions if he hunted them down to this forsaken planet on the outskirts of the Outer Rim, determined to bring her back with him.

"So you don't deny it's mine?" He sat up before jumping to his feet. He took a step towards her, almost as if she could be swayed by his presence to let her defenses down. Instead, Rey focused on all of her anger, changing into a defensive position with her staff, hoping the gentle humming of her double blades would soothe the burning in her heart.

"I won't let you destroy the ones I love." Her words rang out with conviction and Rey felt something come over her. Rey wanted to say it was her resolve settling over her, but it was dark and terrifying. It was something she had been struggling with since she became pregnant. It was what she felt when she worried she wasn't adequate enough to protect her child or herself. It was there, whispering to her every time she felt even a moment of weakness when she thought of Kylo. It folded over her like a blanket, suffocating the peace and light that usually shined from her soul. She didn't care as she felt it come over her, taking her over. In that moment, she hated Kylo Ren with every fiber of her being. He was going to destroy those that mattered to her unless she destroyed him first.

"What do you plan to do?" Kylo Ren lifted his hands, removing the helmet and gazing down at her. Rey smirked at his tactic, letting him use the Force to draw his lightsaber back to. Did he honestly think she was a simpleton? That one look at his face would be enough to sway her to his side? He was pathetic. She was more powerful than he could ever be and she had no problem showing him that. How poetic. The very last thing Kylo Ren would see before death was what actual power looked like.

"I'm going to stop you."


	12. Chapter 12

Kylo Ren shut his eyes, sending his heightened sense out onto the planet his ship was approaching. Being as powerful as he was, it was never truly difficult locating his query. If he truly concentrated hard enough, he could seek Rey out in a matter of minutes, as attuned to her as he was. He inhaled, almost as if he could smell the desperation and fear that clung to those he hunted, ever sure that they were fleeing in terror from him. Which they were. Didn't everyone flee from his presence?

The scavenger was fleeing for her safety, the safety of her supposed lover and for the unborn child she carried in her womb. She had been foolishly attempting to outrun him for the past three months, only accomplishing in irritating him further. Did she truly think herself so far out of his reach she was incapable of being found? Foolish.

He would find her anywhere, especially now.

Thinking back on their encounter only a few precious minutes ago, Kylo felt his dick harden yet again. He had almost forgotten how explosive he felt whenever he was around her, especially when it became physical. It was as if everything inside of her called to everything inside of him, including the parts he kept beaten down and hidden from others, including himself. Her influence, even after their brief encounter, was all consuming. Intoxicating. How had he forgotten how she could make him feel? Even in her bleakness, she drew him out like a moth to a flame, made him question what was right, what was wrong.

Had he forgotten that whatever the Supreme Leader dictated to him was the right path? He had been weak and he had succumbed to her wiles, just as the Supreme Leader had warned him against.

He had also forgotten how nice Rey smelled, almost like the forest after a rain storm. Fresh and pure and of the earth. Or how soft her skin was, how enchanting her eyes were. Even out of her head, she was still completely submerged into his, which was odd, considering the lengths Snoke had gone through to see to it that wouldn't happen again.

Kylo Ren shook the thoughts from his head, slamming his open palm into the side of his helmet as if he could literally pop the thoughts of Rey from his mind. He didn't want to think about how much he missed the scavenger... Or the idea of missing her. She was nothing more than a whore, one who at the first opportunity had nestled someone else's babe in her womb. Someone else's.

The thought was enough to make Kylo's sanity slip further and further away and yet... He had felt the child. He had cradled its essence along his palm while his hand had been pressed against Rey's belly. There had been such a wash of peace that flowed into his soul, covering the hatred and self loathing like a favorite blanket. It had taken him by such surprise. Had it been so long since he felt even a shred of peace?

You felt peace when you were truly with Rey. When you let her in. A small voice inside his mind whispered. The voice seemed to float translucently about in his head, almost as if it was afraid to be there. Afraid of being noticed. It crept closer and closer to his conscious as he thought more about the fetus in her womb.

It had felt surreal to realize she was with child, which could be explained by the dream itself, but there was so much more that Kylo Ren had felt. Connected was a good word to use as he cradled that precious life in his hand. He was even certain it was his almost as soon as their life forces merged. He felt such a surge of pride and joy, it was almost as if he knew instantly the child growing inside of her was his. How strong his child was. Their child.

It almost made Kylo Ren feel pathetic to be chasing her across several galaxies in order to bring her back with him. All because he believed she had been sleeping with someone else. All because the Supreme Leader had led him to believe a falsehood.

Why would he do that?

ooooo

'He's using you, Ben! He's only ever been after your power. Come home, your mother misses you.'

ooooo

Kylo winced at his father's voice, ringing loud and clear into his thoughts. It shouldn't have been shocking, as Han Solo often appeared before Kylo Ren in some form or another, ever since he had cut him down.

Had his father been right? Was he being played?

No. The Supreme Leader wants her to die. I didn't hunt her down because of spite or because the Supreme Leader is using me. It was an order and one I relish. The Supreme Leader is wise. He is wise, he is wise.

Although at that moment, the Supreme Leader didn't seem as wise as Kylo Ren had perceived only a few short hours ago. His intentions felt vague, unsure. Why exactly was he hunting her down across several planets?

Almost as soon as he began to question his motives and those of his leader, Kylo Ren felt a sharp pain in his skull, almost as if someone had clobbered him over the head with something metal. It was enough to render a hiss from his mouth, for his head to bow as his spine curved in agony.

Almost as soon as it appeared, it vanished almost as if the pain had been nothing more than a figment of his imagination.

"We are approaching the ships coordinates, sir." One of the pilots aboard Kylo Ren's vessel called over the intercom system, crackling once before cutting off and leaving him once again with his tremulous thoughts.

Kylo Ren straightened his body, fidgeting with his belt in case it had gotten out of place during the voyage.

It was time to claim what was his.  
~*~

The ship landed with ease and Kylo Ren could feel them. He could feel all of them, even the traitor FN2187. The last Kylo Ren had seen of him, he was lying on his stomach, a lightsaber wound splitting open his back as his blood dripped into the snow. He also felt Chewbacca, which made since as the Falcon was only a few hundred feet in front of him. He could also feel Luke Skywalker, although he was in a different direction than the Falcon, which was interesting.

Knowing a confrontation between his uncle and former master was only a matter of time, Kylo Ren grabbed his lightsaber, exiting the ship from the ramp that had lowered only seconds before. He heard the footsteps of several stormtroopers as they descended after him, marching in unison as they followed his lead.

Spotting the Millennium Falcon off a short distance, Kylo Ren made his way over to the vessel, almost eager to get the upcoming confrontation over with, which seemed so out of character. Generally he enjoyed a great sparring match, anything to prove himself a master. Now, he wanted to grab Rey and flee with her and their child. Where would he even take her?

Back to Snoke? To another First Order base? What kind of life would that be for someone of the light? Did he care?

Almost to his destination, Kylo Ren was unsurprised when he felt himself pushed forward slightly as the Stormtroopers assisting him flew in various directions, falling into pathetic immobile heaps on the floor.

Were they really so ill prepared none of them had evaded a Force attack? Sparing a glance on either side of him, Kylo surmised that yes, the stormtroopers were obviously pathetic.

Of course Hux was all about his useless stormtrooper program, but clones would have been more suited to Kylo's liking.

Wasting not another moment, Kylo Ren ignited his lightsaber and watched as Luke Skywalker came from the shadow of the nearby forest, going to place himself in front of the Falcon and Rey, who Kylo could feel aboard.

"You should leave," Luke Skywalker stated simply, hand on the hilt of his lightsaber. Kylo Ren tilted his head at his uncle, feeling all the emotions Luke Skywalker was fighting within himself. He almost smirked at the indecision the Jedi Knight was feeling, but it would have been pointless as the mask hid his expressions.

"Is that what I should be doing? You're old and fickle, unsure of what even you want. And you think to dictate to me my own actions?" Kylo Ren flicked his wrist, letting his lightsaber move gracefully around him as he swung.

"You can't have Rey. There is nothing for you here." Skywalker reiterated before igniting his own lightsaber and shaking his head sadly. "I once had such high hopes for you, but now all I have is sorrow." Pain reflected in his uncle's eyes, the sight making Kylo Ren cringe in irritation. Couldn't his meddling uncle butt out of his life?

"I will have whatever or whoever I wish. And you're wrong. I've felt what is in that ship. I know what's waiting for me. I will not let you or anyone else stand in the way of what I want and if I have to kill the last Jedi, so be it." And with that, Kylo Ren threw his body forward, lightsaber up and at the ready, poised to deflect whatever Skywalker threw his way.

It seemed as if they battled for hours, for their wills were nearly evenly matched, their skills so similar it was hard to find the upper hand.

At one point, Kylo Ren lost his balance, arms swinging madly about himself to correct the error. In his haste to find balance, he left himself wide open to attack, for the perfect opportunity to be slain by his relative. Only Luke Skywalker hesitated, redirecting his lightsaber to strike Kylo's thigh instead of his chest. Stumbling back, Kylo Ren inspected the wound before parrying again, this time with enough anger to fuel his thrusts, enough power to knock his uncle to the ground. He lay prone several feet away from Kylo.

He didn't get up and he didn't move.

Smirking to himself, Kylo Ren began to approach his uncle, his intent easy to read. Only, the closer he got, the more he began to picture what had happened with his father. How he had felt to look upon the face of the man who raised him, to truly see him before snuffing out his father's light forever. The pain, that swift brutal agony that had plagued him ever since he had done the deed filtered up through the cracks in his resolve, bathing him in indecision.

Could he do it?

Could he take another life? Someone else from his family tree? Someone else Rey valued and loved? Was he truly that much of a monster?

Barely able to lift his lightsaber in the air, Kylo Ren felt as if his arm was holding a 400 pound rock, barely able to support the weapon in his hand. Wave after wave of indecision assaulted him, tormented him. It seemed to go on for days, yet barely an instant went by as he began to bring down the blade, deciding against his nature and to spare the life of the last true Jedi.

Only on the downswing his blade connected with a purple blade, the noise of their lightsabers clashing was enough to pierce the shell of his helmet, making his ears ring.

He looked down into the face of the warrior who thought to overthrow him, not surprised to see Rey standing before him, a sinister expression on her face that didn't seem the match the Rey he knew. The woman he lusted over since the moment he saw her was hiding, buried underneath something dark. Kylo Ren could not have predicted this outcome, feeling the darkside washing over her like a strong tide that was pulling her under, crushing the very light inside that had captivated him from the beginning with its purity.

Kylo Ren was finally getting what he had wanted for almost a year. Rey, becoming one with the dark side.

Yet he felt conflicted.


	13. Chapter 13

"You're a monster," Rey hissed out, pushing more of her weight into the lightsaber she was using to hold Kylo Ren's own saber immobile.

"I had hoped you would come up with a different word to describe me." She could feel the smirk in his words, the cockiness in his attitude. Did he honestly think he was so much better than her? She had had training, she was stronger than even he knew, than even the great and powerful Master of the Knights of Ren knew.

Rey could almost feel herself gaining power as her gaze narrowed and her jaw set in an angry line. She was far more powerful than even Master Luke. She would strike them all down to protect her baby. She would kill everyone who stood in her way. She was invincible, wondrous and omnipotent. Nothing could stand in her way, nor would she let it.

"You are nothing but the scum beneath my boot. How pathetic that my child should share your genes." Rey's voice lowered impossibly further as inspiration struck. What was the point in thinking about how powerful she was? Words were nothing. They were useless.

Perhaps an act... A demonstration was in order.

Rey thrust out her free hand, the motion helping to focus her mind as she lifted Kylo Ren into the air by his throat, laughing as she felt his puny attempt to combat her with his own gift.

"Do you truly think you can defend yourself from me?" She felt a flash of anger as he began to lower of his own accord, sucking in a deep lungful of air before Rey used another surge of power to stop the breath that was pouring into his body, her enemy's lungs locking up as they tried in vain to grab the much needed oxygen. "How does it feel, my dear, sweet, pathetic Kylo? To feel your body weakening as the person you love chokes the very life from your body?" Kylo Ren coughed and clawed at the robe that was around his neck, as if that could help him.

Rolling her eyes at the pathetic display, Rey dropped the father of her child to the ground with a flick of her wrist. "I felt so betrayed by you, so heartbroken the first time you tried to kill me. My feelings were almost as pathetic as you are, really. But I understand now, the urge you had." Rey ran her free hand up and down the side of her body, feeling flush with excitement at what she had nearly done. What she could do. "Is this what you feel all the time? Such desire, so power? Well, probably on a more dimmed level as you aren't half the Force user as I am. It's no wonder you were so weak as to give in at such a young age."

Kylo Ren stood up slowly, as if his very soul ached. Should it have? Rey didn't care. Perhaps if he stood to his full height she might have more of a challenge when she finally killed him. She laughed at the absurdity of that. Then she rolled her eyes again as Kylo Ren removed his helmet, revealing to her a face that nearly set her free and broke her heart all at once.

She shook her head, allowing the treacherous thoughts to leave her mind. To go somewhere else, literally anywhere else and to never bother her again. To be so taken with one person was weak.

"Do you think revealing the face of one Ben Solo you have long claimed to be dead will do anything for me?" Rey sighed as a stormtrooper began to sit up awkwardly. She spared him a few seconds before she shoved him back down with the Force, smiling when she heard his helmet crack from the blow as it hit the ground.

"Rey. This isn't you." Kylo held up his hands almost as if he were trying to calm a wild animal.

"You don't even know me! You think because we've fucked that you know me?"

"I do know you, more than I care to admit. You are letting your emotions cloud your judgment. Can't you see that your succumbing to the dark side?" The dark side? He thought that this was the dark side? Maybe he hadn't been properly introduced to how it truly felt to be influenced by the darkness. Should she be the one to show him?

"You will just say anything to try and make me less powerful, won't you? You can't stand to think that I might be so much stronger than you without the assistance of the light or the dark. That I might be the strongest Force user that there has ever been. My powers are so great I know they far surpass your own. You are useless, Kylo Ren. Worthless." Kylo Ren flinched imperceptibly at Rey's words, causing a smirk to grace her features, making her seem ugly and less human. Couldn't she see what she was becoming?

Rey's fist clenched at her side at her own thoughts. She was fine. Better than fine! She could take on the entire First Order and not lose sleep over all the lives she wiped out from existence. It would all be for the greater good, starting with Kylo Ren, a murderer and deceiver. How many times had he betrayed Rey? He would never stop. He couldn't stop, it was in his very nature. That didn't mean he couldn't learn a lesson or two before the end and she would be just the person to give it to him. She clipped her lightsaber to the hilt on her side, determined to show him just how powerful she was.

"Rey... Ben is right. This isn't you. Please, I implore you to see reason." Master Luke spoke from behind her, causing Rey to startle before flashing angry eyes in his direction. He stood stiffly, as if he was in intense pain. Her mind was open and allowed the sensations he was feeling to engulf her. It was so intense Rey almost bent at the waist from the agony of it before it left her, almost as if it had never been. For a brief moment she felt herself again, almost as if a switch had been turned off, allowing her to see things how she truly saw them, not how something was telling her to see them.

And then it was gone, slipping below the surface as her hatred coming boiling to the front, consuming her once again.

"Why do you keep saying that? I came out here to save you! To protect you from dying! You were too easy to take down, old man. Someone had to help you, although I can see I should have just let you die." She stared at her master, feeling both angry and confused. She had been helping him, hadn't she? It was Kylo who was the problem, didn't he see that?

Rey turned toward the Falcon, feeling the dawning horror that was coming from her best friend Finn and Chewbacca's uneasiness. Was it Kylo Ren that made them feel so, or was it her? Was Rey herself the problem? She couldn't be. She was the next generation of Jedi, she was going to help create a new world order with the Jedi helping the galaxy to be free from tyranny. She wasn't going to become another person to suppress the galaxy. She wouldn't.

She put her hand on the life growing inside of her womb, urging all of her foul thoughts back, as far back as she could push them. Only then did she feel the flicker of light come towards her, warming the ice that had begun spreading through her soul. She could breathe, finally. Truly think for herself.

Rey felt immediately horrified by her actions. Her cheeks heated as she turned her gaze to an unmasked Kylo, feeling ashamed by the hurt she witnessed in his eyes before he glanced away from her. How could she have been so cruel?

Rey took a hesitant step forward, almost as if to embrace him, but stopped when she realized what she was doing. She glanced back at Luke, then Kylo and then down at herself. Were they all really standing outside of the Falcon, weapons at ease and with no ill intent towards one another?

"I'm so sorry, I don't know why I said any that." Rey rubbed her belly in a soothing manner, hoping to calm down the growing dread that was filling her soul. "I don't know what's happening. What's happening to me?"

"We have discussed before how the child is constantly surrounded by the Force as it is a Force user. It's possible that the child is draining you, making you more susceptible to the dark side in ways that we hadn't thought of before." Master Luke answered, stepping forward cautiously to lay a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"I knew our child was strong from when we connected, but I didn't realize how strong. To possibly change one's side of the Force? That's never been heard of," Kylo Ren exclaimed with awe in his voice. Rey took a step back when he proceeded forward, lifting his lip in a snarl when Master Luke blocked his path. "I assumed we had finished our.. discussion when you found yourself on the ground and near death. Perhaps I was mistaken?"

"You will not take Rey. She is in no condition for whatever you have planned."

"Rey is right here," She bit out, tossing her hands into the air. This was no time for a pissing contest of any sort. When Kylo smirked at Luke, Rey glared at her former lover. "Yeah, none of that either. I'm still not going with you for obvious reasons. If you have ever loved me at all, you know its for the best."

Kylo Ren nodded his head in acknowledgment, his eyes clouding in confusion before gripping his head with both hands. After a few seconds, he stood back at his full height. His hands were shaky, his skin was more pale than usual and he had a haunted look on his face.

"Kylo?" Rey asked tentatively. She noticed Master Luke had crept closer to the Knight as he was bent over, a studious expression on his face. "Kylo?" Rey asked again, unsure if her Kylo would respond or if someone else would speak through him.

"I am fine." He muttered.

"Do you really believe that? What's wrong?" He looked away from her, slightly turning his body away from anyone's prying eyes. Rey could still feel Finn and Chewy scoping out the situation from the Falcon. The big babies hadn't even made an attempt to come down to assist anyone. Babies, the whole lot of them.

At his silence, Master Luke spoke up. "Did you hear his voice, Ben?" He fidgeted with the hilt of his lightsaber before folding his arms at his chest, hands disappearing into the sleeves of his Jedi robes.

"Whose voice?" Rey asked, afraid of the answer.

Luke, never breaking wary eye contact with Kylo Ren, spoke up. "Snoke. I could hear him clearly in your head as you nearly collapsed to the ground."

"I didn't almost collapse. I said I was fine." The wind blew past at his lie, his robe billowing around his boot clad ankles, hair curling around his face.

"What was he saying?" Rey piped up, an answer to her long asked questions forming.

"I think you should come with us, Ben. Let me and Rey help you get rid of whatever has been done to you." Rey's mouth fell open at the suggestion. Take Kylo with them? Was Master Luke delusional? Obviously they had been jumping from planet to planet in order to ESCAPE Kylo Ren, not invite him onto the Falcon. Even Rey knew that was a bad idea.

Granted, only a few short months ago she had tried to do just that, take Kylo back to the resistance with her or just flee the battle altogether. Grow old together. But after her escape, he had become darker, crueler, sinister. Could this be the reason why?

"Nothing has been done. I must return to the Supreme Leader."

"What happened after you let me escape, Kylo? You thought you were going to die, but you didn't. Ever since, you've been so much darker. At least, until you found out about the young. What happened to you?"

"Happened?" Kylo murmured, confused by the line of questioning. "I... I don't remember." He shook his head, almost as if to clear whatever was lurking. Looking back at his uncle, he asked, "You heard the Supreme Leader?"

Master Luke nodded his head in confirmation.

"No one else knows I found you here except for those on my ship. It should be easy enough to wipe their memories as long as no one has reported in. We should stay here while we figure everything out. I don't trust any of you and you don't trust me. This is the safest course of action."

"Agreed." Luke looked back towards the Falcon. "I will go inform the others."

"Oh and Skywalker?" Luke turned back towards his nephew. "I am not Ben Solo. Call me that again and I'll rip out your tongue." With that, Kylo Ren stormed away back towards his ship, anger in every step.


	14. Chapter 14

It was hard to focus at first. Everything was black. Total darkness. Not a drop of light to help one's vision make sense of what was in front of them. Only the dark.

There was also pain. So much pain it would have blinded him had there been anything in front of him to see. Or perhaps that was why he couldn't see? The pain surrounded his head, his mind, his eyes. His entire body was engulfed in agony of the acutest kind. Words floated through his head, leaving behind echoes that sent tremors throughout his head. He was weak, he was pathetic. He would never live up to the dark reputation given to him by his grandfather. He was desperate, a child. Someone so easily deceived he was able to fall for the wiles of one woman. The only woman who had ever seduced him fully. He had let her climb into his soul so quickly, so readily. He had destroyed the hard work he had strived for years to complete. Had betrayed his master, the dark sith lord who had shown him the way when he was but a child.

He had risked everything. For what? For the unending pain that was now destined to flow through his body for an eternity. Death was too good for him, only agony was to be his reprieve from the images of Rey that floated through his head. He deserved nothing less than to associate her with the anguish that filled him, that swallowed him whole.

A noise filled the air, seeming to pierce the darkness and fill him, its exasperating hissing noise seemed to echo on into eternity, leaving only the feeling of self doubt, hollowness and depression in its wake. It slayed him. He doubled over and wailed out, finally releasing the agony of his mind and body out through the only noise he had left after the hissing stopped.

He heard more noises rise from the darkness, moving swiftly towards him until he could make them out. They wrapped around his prone form, whispering to him, hissing at him until it was all he could here.

_Kill her, kill the scavenger. Avenge your dignity. Rise to greatness. Kill the scavenger. She stands in your way. She tricked you. Betrayed you. Laughs at you. Seduced you to escape. Made a fool of you. Must die. Kill her. KILL HER._  
~*~

Kylo Ren sat up, the thin sheet around his hips damp with sweat.

He looked around the dark room, almost for the first time at unease with the lack of light in his quarters. With a flick of his wrist, a lamp over in the corner turned on, a mute light filling the room, although it did little to cleanse the dark littering his mind after his dream.

Although, after several sessions with Rey, Kylo Ren was finally beginning to remember the damage that had been inflicted upon him by the Supreme Leader. All those months he couldn't remember, finally resurfacing with the help of the scavenger he had nearly destroyed time and time again.

If only he had been stronger, perhaps he could have fought off the invasion of the Supreme Leader.

If only he had escaped with Rey that day when he had stolen a Tie Fighter for her. How different would they have turned out?

Not that it mattered, they were both fated to be on opposite sides of a war, whether it be between the galaxy or the Force, it couldn't work out between them. Could it? He clenched the sheet at his side before tossing it off of him. After getting ready for the day, Kylo Ren changed into black breeches, black boots, a white shirt and a black jacket, leaving his robe and lightsaber behind as he left his ship in search of the ones he was learning to hate less and less.

It had been a few short weeks since his stand off with Rey and his uncle, however, it could not have come at a more pivotal point.

He was conflicted within himself and had been for a long time. Had his feelings in the dark side and with the Supreme Leader been absolute, he would have been unwavering when he came across Rey, connection or not. He wouldn't have set her free or had sex with her, thus creating their child which grew in her daily. He wouldn't have hesitated to kill his Uncle. He wouldn't be haunted almost daily by the reminder that he snuffed out the man who helped give him life, who loved him in spite of what they had both become. He wouldn't feel the turmoil that was beginning to spread across his chest the longer he was out of the Supreme Leader's reach.

It was that fact that made him believe what his uncle and Rey had been saying all along. He, Kylo Ren had been a pawn used by the Supreme Leader. He had been manipulated and controlled to the point he had forsaken his entire family, his vows to become a Jedi and turned to the darkness. Now, out of the shadow of Snoke, Kylo Ren was beginning to recall every horrendous act he had committed with such clarity, it left him sick to his stomach.

There was no mistake that the draw the dark was still within him, tugging at him daily, leaving its own trail of seduction behind. He could just reach for it if he wanted, he could close off all of the emotions that threatened to overwhelm him and be what he once was.

Unfortunately for him, the draw to the light was becoming more strong, as it had always been. Without the overshadowing of darkness, he felt as if his true nature was finally beginning to reach the surface of his mind, to invite him in to its warm embrace.

It was potent; haunting. How was he, Kylo Ren, ever going to be worthy of such light?

Did he even want that for himself?

Walking from his ship, he came across a less wary Chewbacca, who always seemed to be standing guard of the others, never taking his eyes off of Kylo Ren. Today, however, there was no one else around them for Chewbacca to protect, yet the Wookiee stood poised, as if ready for battle.

Kylo Ren stopped in his tracks, taken off guard by a memory that seemed to assault him from out of nowhere.  
~*~

He saw Han Solo holding a few tools while inspecting the Falcon, grease and oil all over his shirt and face. Chewbacca stood poised next to him in the same manner had just witnessed, only he seemed softer. An instant later, a boy no more than ten years old leapt off the top of the Falcon and right onto Chewbacca's back, shouting with glee as the Wookiee shot off like a rocket and carried the boy all around the yard by the Falcon before reaching behind and tossing him into the air, only to catch him a second later. This continued for several minutes, with Han Solo taking a break from his work to watch his friend and his son playing together.

Just then Princess Leia stepped out of a little cottage, her hair free and hanging down her waist. She smiled at the antics taking place before her very eyes before calling them all in for dinner.  
~*~

Just like that the image faded, leaving Kylo Ren more bereft than ever before. He felt tears sting his eyes and pain grip him like a vise.

How had he not remembered? How could he not hold on to something so precious as that memory?

He didn't think much as he stepped forward and tossed himself at the Wookiee, his arms going around Chewbacca's waist. He was stiff in Kylo Ren's arms, but the young man wept openly and bitterly into his furry chest, uncaring that he could be squeezed to death in a matter of seconds.

"I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry for everything." He murmured, over and over again.

Finally, after Kylo Ren begin to let go, feeling foolish and stupid, the Wookiee pulled him into his embrace, his hands ruffling Kylo Ren's hair as he whispered down at him.

It was at that moment, Kylo Ren began to take a step back, allowing for someone else to reemerge that no one had seen in a very long time.


	15. Chapter 15

"Deep breath in. Focus on your breaths cleansing the turmoil within. Exhale slowly." Master Luke stated softly, soothing the distracting thoughts in Rey's mind.

"I am quite aware of how to meditate," Kylo bit out from his position on the floor, sitting across from Rey. She had spent most of his weeks here both elated at his return and avoiding him like the plague. She couldn't stand the thought of coming close to the darkness as she had three weeks back, how she had been more than okay at the time with killing anyone around her if they didn't get in line. There was also the slight issue of all their recent encounters and how he had called her a whore, for whatever reason, and how he had actually tried to kill her while she slept.

Rey knew deep down it was only because of the conditioning Snoke had put him through after Kylo helped her escape, but she couldn't help but feel that if he was able to disregard his feelings for her, then perhaps their love hadn't been as strong as she had hoped. As she had felt.

Maybe it was only Rey who had truly loved him.

"Then you should shut your mouth and do it," Rey snapped back at him, all the while keeping her eyes squeezed shut to avoid his dark gaze. A light movement around her belly had her eyes popping open to meet Kylo's a second before her eyes shifted to stare down at the bump that had been forming for the past six months. Hands pressing gently to her sides, Rey focused all of her attention on the little life growing inside of her.

Along with her hands, Rey gently eased her essence around the life force she could sense, wanting to ensure everything was alright.

The innocence and contentment Rey felt immediately upon connecting with her son was enough to bring tears to her eyes and for her to cradle him as best as she could with her hands.

"Are you alright, Rey?" Kylo asked gently, having moved while Rey had been distracted. He now knelt next to her, his hands out as if to hold her own, but not daring to actually touch her.

Master Luke slipped out of the room, giving them privacy for whatever reason.

"Yes," Rey smiled slightly through her tears. Not thinking, which was foolish on her part, Rey grabbed Kylo's gloved hands and placed them on her belly, where she had felt the initial kick. "Our son kicked me. I felt his essence also. He's so happy. I've never felt such peace and tranquility."  
~*~

Kylo cupped his hands around her stomach, startling slightly when he felt the gentle kick as well.

"He's strong," Kylo mused, his entire being focused on the lives in front of him. Shutting his eyes, Kylo sought outside himself in search of his youngling, instantly connecting to the bundle of life Rey's aura was focused around.

Staring at Rey, Kylo felt the most inexplicable amount of warmth seep into the hatred and anger he constantly felt, for a moment blocking out every negative thought, every insecurity he felt, leaving him feeling nothing more than tranquility. A weight, somehow lifted from Kylo, even for a moment, had the oddest feeling, something he had not felt since he was a boy, really.

Peaceful.

Is that what this was? Peace?

A slight fluttering around his mind was the answer, as if his child, his son, knew the angst his father felt and sought to ease it.

It was what his son had done for him when Kylo had visited his mother in her dreams three weeks back, intent on harming her. The child had given Kylo a glimpse of what a future could look like, and Kylo wanted it. It was enough to override the order from Snoke, to truly think for himself for the first time in months, to decide what Kylo wanted, which was the woman sitting in front of him, alive and well. Kylo had given everything up for her and he would do it again.

He would always choose her.  
~*~

"He's so strong," Kylo said again softly, his eyes locking on Rey's. "He is like you in many ways." Rey's cheeks heated until a pretty blush covered them. Kylo removed one hand from her stomach so that he could cup her cheek in his hand.

"I believe he's a lot like you, actually." Rey countered, licking her dry lips. Kylo was so close to her. She could smell whatever cologne he used. It always made her think of a midnight breeze and sandalwood. It also made her think of other things, like him without his clothes on, ravishing her until morning when she was forced to wake up and face another day without him in it.

Forcing the thought from her mind, Rey broke eye contact and made to stand from her position on the floor. Instead she found herself flat on her back, Kylo leaning down over her, his hair falling forward and caressing the side of her face as he stared down into her eyes.

"You're upset. Why?"

"You upset me." Might as well get it out in the open, Rey thought bitterly. The sooner they discussed things, the sooner they could move on with their lives. The sooner she could go back to pretending he wasn't on bored and the sooner she could still feel lonely and incomplete.

"If you won't tell me what I've done, I can't correct the issue." Kylo sighed down at her, his face coming just a little closer. Almost too close.

Rey narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Right. Pardon me for assuming you wanted to talk, as your usual method is to handle 'issues' lightsaber first." Rey would have crossed her arms over her chest to complete the haughty effect, but for some blasted reason the pesky things had wandered of their own accord, the grasp onto the black vest at Kylo's chest, almost as if she meant to push him away but instead was intent on drawing him closer to her.

What was wrong with her?

"Nothing is wrong with you. I feel it too. The pull. We will always be drawn to each other. I used to think it was just strong emotions, but I believe that when we first connected on Takodana, we force bonded." Sensing Rey's confusion, Kylo continued. "A force bond is something that occurs naturally between two force users. Commonly between a Padawan and a Jedi. If they are strong enough in the Force, their bond is that strong as well."

"But if it's between a Jedi and a Padawan, then how would it work for us? We're on two opposite sides of the Force."

"You aren't wholly light and I'm not wholly dark. Maybe that's how it can work for us. We compliment each other. It might also explain why you haven't force bonded with Luke." Kylo smirked at his last comment. Rey tilted her head slightly, some at his comment and some at the fact that her hand, of it's own accord, was now cupping his scarred cheek, while the other rested on his sternum, feeling his heart beat.

Traitorous hands.

"You sound very smug right now."

"I don't know if 'smug' is the correct word. But yes, I am pleased."

"Smug," Rey reiterated, if only to watch his smirk turn into a small smile. Her answering smile almost hurt her face, as it felt like she hadn't smiled in six months, always full of such turmoil.

"Maybe."

"I don't like being apart from you." Kylo said roughly before burying his head into her neck, leaving her hands with little option but to wade through his thick black hair and settle at the back of his head, keeping him with her. Kylo lay beside her, careful to not add his weight to her ever growing stomach.

"Kylo," Rey sighed. She squeezed her eyes shut, feeling his hollowness as it matched her own. "We've barely spoken since you decided to travel with us. It's the Millennium Falcon, not a planet. I have been within walking distance this entire time. You could have come to me at any point, but you haven't." Which hurt, almost as much as getting strangled by the Force. Rey would know, she thought bitterly.

"Please don't do that. I'm sorry for everything. For what I've done to you, for what I've said." His breath ruffled the hairs along her neck, causing Rey to shiver at the sensation. "I'm not a good person, I know that. I don't want to be Ben Solo, I want to be me, but I never wanted to harm you. Not really. Not you. You're the only one who has seen me and who has loved me."

"Then why did you do it? Why didn't you come with me? I chose to give up the Resistance for you, but you went back to the First Order. What if Snoke would have killed you?" Rey almost couldn't breathe at the thought. "You had a choice and you chose wrong."

"I stayed to help you escape." He sat up, hands resting on her shoulders as he glared down at her.

"Did you really? That's what I thought at first. That you did it for me. But maybe you didn't. Maybe you left me because you were scared of what a life outside the First Order might mean and you weren't sure if you would want that with me. You were scared and you would have rather abandoned me than face the unknown together."

"You don't know what you're saying, Rey. Stop talking." Kylo bit out, his face revealing the anger he was attempting to keep at bay. Rey tried to sit up, but was kept down by Kylo's hands roaming along her body before they settled lightly at her neck.

Perfect for strangling.

"I'm not going to hurt you!" He spat down at her, his fingers digging slightly into her neck.

"You already have. We're bonded by the Force, remember? I can see inside of you, just as you can with me. I know what I said was truth, as sure as I know the truth is what is making you angry. You went back to Snoke and nearly murdered me and your son in the process. What if he comes here for you again? Will you leave me, leave us? What if he demands you take us with you? Our child is of the light, I know you felt that. What if Snoke takes him and corrupts him, just as he did with you? Would you let that happen? Would you encourage it? I can't live with wondering, Kylo. I won't. So tell me. Tell me what to do. Tell me how we go from here." Rey's voice broke as she stared up at him, watching the conflict warring across his features with every word she said to him. "Just tell me." She whispered.

In the next instant Kylo's hands were away from her neck, cupping the back of her head and pulling her into a fierce kiss. Rey gasped in surprise, letting him in fully to taste her. Both of their walls came crashing down around them as the bond between them nearly solidified, a potent and living thing.

Rey felt it then. Kylo's love for her, nearly overwhelming her in its intensity. It wasn't full of light, but it wasn't wholly dark either. It just was. She was his reason for each breath he took since their first meeting.

She knew Kylo was feeling the same from her, how she never gave up on him, even when he had nearly killed her. How she always had hope that he would come back to her, come back for her.

They made short work of their clothing, hands roaming erratically on one another, as if they had been starved for each other in all these months of separation. Of worrying.

Kylo was behind Rey, lifting her bare leg over his hip so he could slip inside of her. Their breaths hitched together as their bodies joined. Rey felt a slight sting of pain as this was only her second time to physically share herself with anyone. Kylo felt the tightness around him, increasing his pleasure as he thrust shallowly into her, which he shared with Rey in order to help her forget the temporary pain.

He didn't ready her as he should have. He could have spent hours with his head buried between her legs tasting her sweetness.

Rey moaned loudly at his thought, her walls squeezing around him as he thrust harshly into her, her body giving him better access as she readied for him.

Kylo turned her face to his, leaning down and biting her lower lip before licking the sting and kissing her deeply as he thrust more harshly than before. His other hand wandered down Rey's body, teasing her clit as they rocked into each other, the slap of flesh nothing compared to the moans shared between them.

Breaking the kiss, Kylo kissed and nipped his way down her neck, almost as if he was branding her as his for all the world to see, which in a way he was.

He didn't care if anyone knew of them together. He was hers and she was most definitely his.  
~*~

A few hours later, and some careful dodging and maneuvering, Kylo and Rey lay in a tangle of sheets in Rey's room aboard the Falcon. Kylo lay behind Rey, his arms around her chest. Rey's hands held on to his forearms, her head resting on his shoulder.

"I would kill for you." Kylo whispered into the darkened room. Rey stiffened slightly before he continued. "I would die for you. I would destroy anything that dared to harm you, even if that meant Snoke. Even if that meant myself. You are more important to me than anything. A life without you in it is not one worth living. I only hope you let me prove that to you."

"Rey turned slightly so that she could kiss his shoulder. "You don't have to prove anything to me," she stated softly before falling into a peaceful sleep.

Sometime later, Kylo dragged her closer to his body, his mind at war with itself as he inhaled her smell of jasmine and vanilla. "Yes I do." The words came out darkly to match the lack of light surrounding them. "Yes I do."


	16. Chapter 16

**One month later...**  
~*~

_Come to me,_ the voice whispered.

It was dark; sinister.

Frightening.

_Bring him to me,_ it echoed again, filling Rey's head and making her wince with the sudden onslaught of pain. She tried to shut it out, but every wall she erected crumbled to the ground, completely shattered under the constant barrage of power that assaulted her.

Rey's subconscious was alert, helping her to focus on where the danger was lurking in her mind. When she was finally able to locate it, she gasped in horror. It was an inky black, staining everything in her mind it touched, as if it was trying to ruin her from the inside out. Rey pushed at it with all of her might, but it barely budged under power, almost seeming pleased with her resistance.

In an instant it tore through her resolve, festering around the power she wielded as if she wasn't a strong Force user but merely a scavenger. As if she was so easy to destroy it was barely a bother.

As she was consumed by the darkness, Rey gave out one scream of defiance.  
~*~

That was how Kylo woke. He felt her pain as if it was his own, they were so in sync with one another. He sat up and looked over at her, feeling a slight moment of panic as he watched Rey clutching her head and moaning, the bedsheets tangled around her legs. Sweat dripped down her forehead and she moaned again, nearly falling off the bed as she tried to escape whatever plagued her.

Kylo grabbed ahold of her arm with one hand, his other gently placed on her forehead as he felt out to sense what troubled her.

What he found shook him to the core and at the same time filled him with an intense rage.

Snoke!

The bastard was hurting Rey. But how? How could he reach her from such a distance? Kylo knew the Supreme Leader almost never left his massive destroyer, which orbited one of several First Order bases far from them on Tatooine. His physical form was too weak, which is how Kylo knew he wasn't physically near them. He couldn't be. He wouldn't risk being slain by Luke Skywalker or Kylo himself.

Would he?

Not unless he knew that Rey carried his unborn child. But how had he found out? Kylo had dispatched those stormtroopers before boarding the Falcon almost two months ago, leaving nearly all of his possessions behind. There had been no witnesses. Had there? Kylo had been so careful, so meticulous in ensuring Rey would come to no more harm from anyone, especially someone like Snoke. He even endured daily meditation sessions with his half wit uncle in order to rid his mind of that taint that came from the Supreme Leader.

Everything he had done had been to keep the woman he loved safe, even living insufferably with Luke Skywalker and that jackass, 'Finn'. Had it all been in vain?

"Rey," Kylo called out, hauling her into his arms and cradling her and his son close. "Rey, you have to fight it. You have to push him out." Rey's head thrashed back and forth in her struggle to escape the madness locked in her mind. Rey was one of the most powerful Force Users Kylo had ever come across, but she had never faced a threat like Snoke, up close and personal. She was out of her depth and Snoke was far too formidable to be handled on her own.

Unable to bear her pain any longer, Kylo merged his consciousness with hers, hoping that with his presence she would be able to force Snoke out. Rey had to be okay. She had to wake up and be fine, for both of their sakes.  
~*~

_You will bow down before me. Bring Kylo Ren to ME._

Rey struggled against the power consuming her, she could feel it trying to reach out and corrupt the child she carried. She wouldn't let that happen. She couldn't. Her son, when the time came, would choose his own fate, not be influenced by such a vile person. Ben Solo had suffered such a fate, and it took something about impossible to bring him back to neutral ground, if he was even there yet.

Rey didn't know if Kylo could ever truly be redeemed in his own eyes, but as she fought her damnedest to keep Snoke from destroying the life she had helped create, she felt him; Kylo Ren. He came to her, in all of his fierce anger, in his burning rage, he came to her and fought alongside her. She could feel him, using the darker side of the Force, molding it with her own light and wielding it to drive out the destructive influence in her mind.

Rey felt the bonds that had been shackled to her loosening as she brushed her power along Kylo's, letting his darkness guide them through the peril Snoke had created in her mind.

_You will never be rid of me, foolish girl._ The voice hissed at her once more before her entire being relaxed as the negative influence left her, leaving only the darkness that was Kylo to stir in her mind. This darkness was different, however, almost as if it was the shade provided by the light shining inside of her. They fit, as if they were perfectly matched for one another.

Rey sighed slightly before she was awakened, Kylo enfolding her in his arms and hugging her to him. The grip was almost too tight, but Rey collapsed into him, letting the slight tremor in his body give her the strength she needed to be alright. How close had she come to death? Did she want to know? From the shaking in Kylo's body, it was a close call.

"It's okay," she muttered into Kylo's neck, running her hands through his damp hair in a slow caress. She inhaled his scent, drawing him into her lungs as she clutched him to her, a few tears falling down her face at the thought of never seeing him again. All she kept thinking was that this might have been the last time they had been together. Rey drew in a shaky breath, willing herself to be at ease.

She was fine. The baby was fine. They were all going to be alright.

"Sh," he whispered back, his arms tightening even further around her as they shook.

"It is okay. I promise. You saved me, you did." Rey muttered into him again, hoping her words would calm the steady rage that seemed to be building inside of him. Rey could sense it festering around them like an open wound. Hoping her words would be the soothing balm to cleanse him, Rey muttered them again and again.

Finally, Kylo's rage muted until it throbbed dully between them. When he loosened his arms Rey sat back, cupping his face in her hands and staring up at him with a slight smile.

"What if I hadn't been here?" Kylo asked quietly, his eyes meeting hers, startling in their intensity. "What if he did something I couldn't fix?"

"Don't think like that. You were here. You are here. You kept me safe. You kept both of us safe," Rey gently guided his free hand to her womb, hoping this would help him truly understand that they were alright. She hoped it would help her too. "You protected us, Kylo. You."

Instead of the reassurance she had hoped to bring, Rey was disturbed when Kylo's brow furrowed, both of his hands clasping her womb as he stared down at her. Rey tried to scoot away from him, only to be held in place by his touch. Although not rough, he didn't give her any room to budge from his grip.

"Kylo? What is it?" Rey whispered, almost afraid of the answer that awaited her. Why did he seem so conflicted? What was wrong?

"It's... It's impossible. Sweetheart, do you feel it?" His voice was light and he looked as if ready to pass out. Rey herself nearly fainted from the term of endearment and she might have if the situation itself didn't seem so dire.

"Kylo. You're scaring me. What is it?" She asked again. Aside from the incident with Snoke, Rey felt fine both physically and mentally. Kylo wasn't making any sense, unless he knew something she didn't. "The baby. Is he alright?" Rey didn't know what she would do if he wasn't.

"He's fine, but it's not him I'm talking about." A slight smile formed on his face until he was full on grinning down at Rey's stomach. Rey had never seen Kylo look so blissfully happy before. That's possibly why it took her a bit longer to catch on to what he was saying to her.

"You can't mean... No. No, Kylo Ren you had better be joking." Rey hissed at him, swatting at his hands until he finally looked up at her as if she hung all the stars in the galaxy herself. "No." She pointed at him before poking him in the chest with said pointed finger. "I mean it. If you say what I think you're going to say I will lose it. Absolutely lose it. Do you want me to lose it? I don't want me to lose it, but I swear that I will if you tell me what I think you're going to tell me."

"Rey, you've given me the most precious gifts. I never thought I would have a family."

"Gifts?" Rey muttered faintly. Very faintly. Was the room spinning or was that just her?

"We have a son, but Sweetheart, we very much have a daughter. I don't know how I couldn't feel it before. Maybe because he's so strong, or maybe it's because she feels so much like you, it was hard to distinguish a difference. A little girl."

"I need to lie down."

"We're having twins, Rey. Can you believe it?" He hugged her to him before leaning down and kissing Rey deeply. Too stunned to react, Rey let him ravish her lips before he pulled away slightly so he could lay his head on her stomach. His body wrapped around her as he lay there, just listening. With his eyes shut, he almost looked peaceful, if that was ever a word that could be used to describe Kylo.

Brushing her hands through his hair, Rey looked down at Kylo in wonder and slight morbid fascination. This man, this dangerous, dark, complicated man was hers. And she was his. Not only were the bonded by the Force, they were bonded by the magical ties of family. Something Rey had always wanted and something Kylo had never truly been apart of. Together they had given each other what they needed.

"I love you," Rey whispered. Kylo's arms tightening around her was all the confirmation she needed.  
~*~

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Master Luke asked Kylo, a concerned expression on his face.

"Absolutely not," Kylo muttered almost sarcastically at his former teacher. "I don't want to do this at all." He looked down at Rey, who stood by his side. Her belly made it almost impossible for her to walk without waddling. Kylo found it endearing, Rey not so much. There was only a month left before she was due to give birth. "But we need to do this. Rey can't give birth while we constantly orbit space and attempt to dodge the First Order. We need medical staff, an actual medical unit. I don't want her to be worried as she gives birth or what happens directly after. Giving birth on the run isn't safe for her."

Or worrying and scared. Wasn't that how his grandmother had perished?

Rey reached out, holding his hand in hers as she faced Luke.

"It's what we've decided. Together. It's the sanest solution and the best. If Snoke can reach us anywhere, then it doesn't matter where we go. At least we'll be safer with the Resistance than alone, waiting to be captured."

"I understand the reasoning behind this decision. I just want you to think about what this might possibly mean. Kylo Ren is wanted for countless murders. As the righthand man of Snoke, you might be captured as soon as we arrive at the base. Is that what you want?" Master Luke seemed flustered. Rey couldn't discern if it was actual concern for his nephew or if he was having trouble figuring the logistics of it all.

"Kylo Ren hasn't been seen out of his helmet or outfit in years. Who is going to recognize his face?" Kylo bit out. Rey wanted to smirk, but kept it to herself. She knew he was having a hard time adjusting to the outfits he'd been wearing since his arrival. The black vest, black tunic shirt, black breeches and black boots suited him. Even his belt was black. He looked as dark and as dangerous as ever and without his mask, even more darkly handsome.

"I'm glad you approve," Kylo muttered to Rey, who had the grace to blush at being caught with her current thoughts.

"Your mother, for starters." Luke snapped back, losing his legendary cool before he quickly adjusted his robes and looked away briefly before returning to the subject at hand. "What do you plan to do? Avoid Leia forever? She will know when Rey arrives and the fact that her grandchildren are being born. Do you plan to stay away from Rey when we arrive?"

"Not at all. Nor do I have any plans on avoiding the General."

"She's your mother," Luke said, his eyes sad as they looked upon Kylo. "Are you going to threaten her like you did me when she calls you by your birth name? Will you strike down your own mother like you did my best friend, your father?"

"I don't answer to you." Kylo spat back bitterly before turning and leaving the two Force wielders alone, his boots thudding ominously as he departed their section of the ship.

"What that necessary?" Rey asked, one hand on her hip as she glared at her formed master.

"Of course it's necessary. If he can handle me taunting him, then I think he will be fine when we land and gather with the rest of the Resistance. As he didn't destroy anything, I think it is safe to say he is making progress."

Rey rolled her eyes. "I could have told you that."

"Your opinion is biased. For the sake of all of our futures, I needed to be sure."

"I wouldn't have brought him near my children if I thought he meant us harm."

"Do you forget so easily that he almost killed you?"

"That was before he knew. Snoke had corrupted his mind, again, just as he did when Kylo was a child. How can you blame him when he is just as much a victim of Snoke as all of us? He might be the biggest victim of all."

"Maybe once," Luke admitted softly all the while staring at the spot Kylo had been standing. "When he was younger I would have agreed with you. But the atrocities he committed as an adult won't go away so easily. They shouldn't. Your forgiveness is applaudable, but isn't right. He should fight for his place, not just be given one."

Rey sighed, before turning to leave. "He's fought enough. Don't you see that? He has suffered more than any of us. He has lived most of his life being raised by a monster and yet he is doing his best to break free of the shackles imprisoning him to be better for me and for himself. I'm sorry you can't see that, but I do, which is how I can look past his mistakes and can forgive him. Let us know when we are approaching the base." And with that, Rey left in search of Kylo.

It wasn't hard to find him. Their connection made it easy.

Pacing up and down a corridor of the ship, Kylo ran his hands through his hair in aggravation.

"Do you think he's right? That this is a stupid idea?"

"No. But I do think we need to talk about the inevitable." Kylo glanced wearily at Rey before propping his back along a wall and tucking his hands into his pockets. His silent nod urged Rey on. "What are you going to do when you see her? Master Luke is right. You can't avoid her. You shouldn't."

Kylo scoffed and shrugged his shoulders. They both remained silent for a few minutes before Kylo spoke up. "She hates me. Why wouldn't she? I killed my own father."

"She doesn't hate you," Rey denied. "I was with her after Han died. I was there after Starkiller base. She was heartbroken, yes. But she's your mother. She couldn't ever hate you. She just wanted you to come home to her. As Ben Solo or as Kylo Ren. It didn't matter to her how you came back, just as long as you did."

Rey leaned into Kylo, whose turmoil she could feel just as easily as she could see. His eyes were glistening with unshed tears, his face reddened by his need to express his sadness.

"I killed my father." He whispered to her bitterly. Rey's eyes softened as she looked at him with her own sadness.

"I know."

"I killed him to gain power. To become stronger. I was selfish and his last act was to cup my face like he did when I was a child. He would scold me when I did something wrong, but every time, he would cup my face and tell me that he loved me and it would be alright. He would tell me I was loved even when I felt lost. How could I do that to him? How?" Rey grabbed Kylo into a fierce hug, letting him pour all of his angst into her as he clung to her, his face buried into her neck which became wet with his tears.  
~*~

Unbeknownst to them, Luke Skywalker looked on at the couple as they clung to one another. It was obvious to see that Kylo Ren needed Rey as much as she needed him, if not more so. He felt both somber and elated at what he was able to witness.

Ben Solo had finally begun to heal.


End file.
